World Water Week wraps with thoughts on water filtration

As World Water Week wrapped up its 21st anniversary celebrations in Stockholm last month, Scientific American was reporting that New York City is just two months away from opening the world's largest ultraviolet (UV) drinking-water disinfection plant. When the lights go on in New York's new facility, 56 massive UV units will neutralize waterborne pathogens in all the drinking water coming from the city's major sources—the Delaware County and Catskill watersheds – processing up to nine billion liters daily and adding a second layer of sanitation to the chlorine treatment that has been applied for years. (see Turning on the Zap: New York City Readies World's Largest UVDrinking-Water Disinfection Plant)

According to the article on the Scientific American website, Trojan's operation will dwarf the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's Tesla Treatment Facility, which opened last July. That $114-million project is California's largest UV water disinfection facility, treating up to 1.2 billion liters of water per day for the Bay Area from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. (see $114 million Tesla project aids Hetch Hetchy water)

Here in Sonoma Valley – and Petaluma – our drinking water comes from either ground water sources or the Russian River system. If delivered through the Russian River system, the water is handled and treated by the Sonoma County WaterAgency (SCWA).

The water is first filtered naturally through the gravel river bed. According to the water agency’s web site, “water entering the collector wells is extremely clean and requires no additional treatment; however, chlorine is added as a precaution against possible contamination in the distribution system."

The water is also adjusted for pH. Again, from the SCWA, "The Russian River water has a natural pH of about 7.1 - 7.6. To reduce corrosion of lead and copper present in indoor plumbing fixtures, it is desirable to raise the pH of the river water to 8.3 - 8.5. The Water Agency operates pH Adjustment/Corrosion Control facilities, located at the Wohler pumping plant and at the chlorination facility, where sodium hydroxide is added to the water supply. This treatment helps reduce dissolved metal content entering the wastewater treatment plants in areas served by the Water Agency."

Water is distributed through some 79 miles of pipeline that runs from the Russian River to Santa Rosa, Cotati, Petaluma and Sonoma – and right out the openings in our faucets, etc. Some people like to add another layer of filtration in-home to remove the chlorine and other impurities that may be in the water and not removed by the County’s treatment.

If you have any questions about that, give us a call here at Boden Plumbing. We have a few recommendations if you’re interested. 707-996-8683.

Oh my gosh, there's a snake in the toilet...

photo credit: Matt Cunnelly on flickr.com

Wouldn't this just freak you OUT? Imagine, you lift the lid to use the toilet and there's a lovely but totally unexpected royal python staring up at you. Oh my gosh!

Well that's what happened to a German woman earlier this year. Her immediate reaction was to call the police. Why not? There was an intruder in the house! Sneaking in the back way, no less.

"However, the reptile was in no mood to show itself to the officers so the fire brigade was called in. They opened a manhole in the garden and were able to remove it from the plumbing," a police statement said.

A snake expert was then called in as a reinforcement.
She identified the serpent as a two-year-old royal python, normally not dangerous to humans, and offered to take it home until the owner steps forward.

"Until we have cleared up whom the reptile belongs to, the police have registered it as a lost item," concluded the police statement.

Source: German pensioner lifts toilet lid and discovers royal python

A Plumbing We Will Go, in which the Three Stooges commandeer Casey's plumbing truck and...well, you'll see

Casey's plumbing truck has evolved quite a bit since first appearing in this Three Stooges short. (Thank GOODNESS.) Yup, maybe you've seen our trucks around town? They're the ones that have "Living With a Drip?" across the front and all the fun graffiti down the sides. Wave next time you see us!

Enjoy the videos... (They're pretty silly.)

Part 1 of 2



Part 2 of 2



We found these on YouTube. You can watch them online here > Part 1 and here > Part 2.

Do-It-Yourself Laundry to Landscape Graywater Workshop in Sonoma Valley, Oct. 13-14

If you're looking for even more ways to conserve water (and who isn't) -- or you'd really, really (really) like to add a garden or landscaping but don't want to run more water, we wanted to let you know about a Do-It-Yourself Laundry to Landscape Graywater Workshop coming up in Sonoma. It's happening October 13-14 (Saturday and Sunday), and it's free to Sonoma Valley Residents.

Sponsored by the City of Sonoma's Water Conservation Program, the workshop is designed to teach you everything you need to know to transform your washing machine into a wondrous irrigation system for your yard.

Even though the workshop is free of charge, registration is still required - and space is limited so register today to reserve your spot!

http://sonomagraywaterworkshop.eventbrite.com/

Here are more details on the workshop:

READY TO GO GRAY?

Graywater that is. It's a perfectly wonderful, untapped resource that's easily and legally diverted to your garden, where it will make things flourish! Transition Sonoma Valley, in partnership with Daily Acts, the City of Sonoma and the Sonoma Ecology Center, is hosting a do-it-yourself, laundry-to-landscape workshop October 13 and 14.

During this weekend workshop you will learn about and install a system in your home.

You're a perfect candidate for this workshop if you:

• have a washing machine and a garden, and are ready for a do-it-yourself project
• have a washing machine and a garden, and a neighbor, friend or family member that will assist in installing a graywater system
• are interested in learning and can assist with an installation, but don't have an appropriate location for a system
• would like to save thousands of gallons of water a year and learn a new & easy way to make that washing machine do more than clean your clothes!



DETAILS

Who: Sonoma Valley residents that want to learn everything they need to know to install a laundry-to-landscape graywater system (Residents of other cities are welcome to join the training and volunteer with installations)

Why: You'll feel incredibly empowered after this hands-on weekend workshop and immediately reap the benefits of saving thousands of gallons of water, reducing irrigation demands and saving loads of time and money!

What: The first day is a full-day classroom-style lecture where you’ll learn plant selection, system design and plumbing skills to safely and confidently direct water from your washing machine to your landscape. Day two is a flexible, hands-on day where volunteers will be matched with a site, and Sonoma Valley residents will spearhead their graywater transformations at home. It will all be guided by our experts who will ensure proper code compliance, answer questions and offer helpful techniques to help you achieve your water saving goals. By the end of the weekend we’ll have collectively installed over twenty greywater systems complying with the new California state code adopted in fall of 2009. Let the graywater flow with gusto!

Materials and Tools: Each system will require a prescibed list of materials and some needed tools. Materials will be determined in advance during the site visits and will be available on the classroom day. City of Sonoma water customers will be provided the materials at no cost. (You will need access to some basic tools to do this installation. A suggested list can be found on the workshop webpage.)

For non City of Sonoma water customers, the materials will cost approximately $100 - $150. (The City is welcoming donations and sponsorships to offset these costs. If you would like to contribute, please contact Melinda Kelley.)

After you register you'll be contacted to discuss details and to schedule a site visit.

---

Need more information? Contact Melinda Kelle at melbelkel@aol.com or (707) 938-7378.

And you can visit the www.trasitionsonomavalley.org web page for full details and links to more info.

It's Baaack -- the Sonoma County Direct Install Program

Just  a few weeks ago we put out a reminder that there were still rebates available in Sonoma County for water efficiency upgrades - even though the County's Direct Install Program was no more. Well, yes there are still rebates availabe. That part's true. But we were a bit off the mark on the other thing.

The Direct Install Program did end awhile ago - but it's back. Sonoma County is once again paying customers of select sewer districts to have their old-style non low-flow toilets changed out for the latest water efficient models.

It's a good deal all around. The County saves money in the long run by reducing water use and load on the sewer system, and you finally get those old water hungry fixtures out of your place.

This is not a rebate program. You are not required to pay any money up front for the toilet, seat, new angle stop or the standard installation. It is important to note, however, if there are any associated repairs or upgrades necessary when changing out your toilet, there could be charges not covered by the County.

But don't let that discourage you from checking it out. Our experience during the first incarnation of the program (and we installed several hundred toilets as part of the County program) was that extra repairs were rarely needed. So in general, you will be able to change out your non low-flow toilet fixtures - at no charge - and certainly for significantly less money than you would normally have to spend.

Trust us - this is an excellent opportunity.

The County is handling things a little differently this time. Instead of just making an appointment with us (or any of the other participating plumbers), you need to go ahead and sign up with the County. Once they get you signed up and queued up (they plan to fund a limited number per month), you can give us a call and we'll change out whatever antique thing you've got for a brand spanking new state-of-the-art water-saving wonder.

Visit the Sonoma County Water Agency Direct Install web page for more information and to get your name on the list.

Mining Wastewater for Electricity

Solar-collecting panels / SCWA

At the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District treatment plant, one-third of the power needs are met by a solar collecting system. It's great that our local wastewater treatment plant can take advantage of all that readily available sunshine to do its work, but what if sewage treatment could actually generate electricity?

That's a question researchers at Oregon State have been investigating -- and they're finding that the possibilities are quite promising. Here's what the Smithsonian Institution had to say recently about the studies on their blog:

Could Sewage Be Our Fuel of the Future?

"Previous methods relied upon anaerobic digestion, in which bacteria break down biodegradable elements in wastewater in the absence of oxygen and produce methane (natural gas) as a byproduct. This gas can then be collected and burned as fuel.

"The Oregon State team’s technology, in contrast, harnesses the biodegradable material in wastewater to feed aerobic bacteria, which digest the substances with the use of oxygen. When the microbes oxidize these components of sewage—and, in turn, clean the water—they produce a steady stream of electrons. As the electrons flow from the anode to the cathode within a fuel cell, they produce an electrical current, which can be directly used as a power source. Additionally, this process cleans the water more effectively than anaerobic digestion and doesn’t produce unwanted byproducts."...

Kind of takes the Reduce, Reuse, Recyle mantra to a whole new level, wouldn't you say?

Aeration ponds / SCWA

You can find out more about how our wastewater is treated these days from this nifty interactive diagram on the Sonoma County Water Agency website.

And read more of the background of the Oregon State work -- as well as other 'Surprising Science' news -- on the Smithsonian science blog.

Here's the article again...
Could Sewage Be Our Fuel of the Future?

Plastic - the new Mermaid Tears

Did you know that plastic is the largest form of ocean litter? If you're still drinking water from plastic bottles (INSTEAD OF FILTERING YOUR OWN TAP WATER duh...), maybe this short video from Surfers Against Sewage will motivate you to make a few changes.

TheWaterChannel

More info: www.sas.org.uk

We found this video on The Water Channel.