KSTP recently covered a story on the elevated arsenic levels found in Deephaven, MN well water. As part of the story, they contacted Premier Water as a local water treatment experienced with Arsenic removal.
Due to the high interest in Arsenic testing, Premier Water was able to negotiate FREE ARSENIC TESTS with one of our manufacturers.
Please feel free to call us at (952) 479-4553 to schedule a test.
For those of you looking for more information on available treatment solutions, check out:
Pureoflow has been building a reputation of excellence in the restaurant industry. By providing the highest quality water, Pureoflow is able to not only improve the quality of beverages and ice, but also significantly reduce a restaurant’s water quality related expenses (an average of $415 per month.)
Biaggi's Pureoflow system
There are 1000′s of contaminants that contribute to the TDS level, many of which are in the form of a salt or a metal. 0ppm would indicate “pure water”. 100ppm is the limit for clear ice cubes. Biaggi’s TDS was 565ppm! Their water was soft, the softener was working, but their water was a real problem!
Pureoflow worked closely with Ecolab to help them with Biaggi’s water. Ecolab provided over a dozen water meters throughout the restaurant to precisely measure water use by each faucet, dishwasher, icemaker, coffee maker, etc. Once the data was collected, Pureoflow designed a system that would meet Biaggi’s tight space requirements while providing the volume of water needed.
Crystal clear ice cubes!
The Pureoflow system uses a combination of filters and a patented GE membrane technology that provides salt-free softening and purification. All system components are secured in a tamper-proof locking cabinet. This single system replaced a water softener, and dozens of filters throughout the restaurant.
Biaggi’s high TDS level was reduced to a very manageable 40ppm. Glassware is crystal-clear, the ice looks like diamonds, and their coffee and beverages taste amazing!
Premier Water, Pureoflow, and Ecolab will continue to work together to improve the restaurant industry in the Twin Cities. Customers get a better dining experience, restaurants reduce their costs, and less salt and filters end up in the environment! Learn more about the Pureoflow system!
Grace Lutheran Church in Deephaven, MN had been fighting with their well water for years. The old mechanical Fleck 2750 water softener used 1,000’s of pounds of salt each year, and did a poor job of removing the iron from the water. Every toilet in the church was orange, and the entire kitchen would smell like rotten eggs when there was heavy water usage.
Bottled Water Cooler
The poor water quality prompted Grace to install multiple bottled water coolers for drinking water and coffee, but that ended up costing the church over $1,600 each year.
5 gallon water bottles
In addition to cost, Grace had problems with storage space and microbial growth inside the water coolers. Several coolers required constant disinfection to eliminate the swampy, musty smell and taste that kept returning. The 5 gallon bottles would routinely pile up and were hard to store conveniently.
After reviewing the different options, Grace Lutheran decided to completely overhaul their water system. Premier Water was chosen as a local company with expertise in problem-water applications.
The new water system was completed in 4 phases:
New Iron Filter System
Hellenbrand H125 Water Softener
Step 3 of our new water system used the Hellenbrand H125 light commercial water system to remove hard water scale from the now iron-free water. By removing the iron first, we were able to use 37.5% less salt. The new system regenerates on a metered/on-demand schedule and uses variable reserve technology that precisely adjusts to changing water use. The previous system regenerated with salt and water every third day – even if no one was using water! With the Hellenbrand iron filter and high efficiency softener, we were able to reduce salt by almost 60%.
Reverse Osmosis System
Reverse Osmosis Systems and Bottle-less Water Coolers
Step 4 – provide clean drinking water. Bottled water coolers are open environments that collect debris in the air and eventually grow bacteria. Reverse osmosis systems squeeze water through small pores roughly 1000x thinner than a human hair to literally make pure water one drop at a time. Once purified, the water is held in a pressurized storage tank, and pumped to a bottle-less water cooler. The whole system is 100% sealed. The result is pure, fresh water that stays clean! In addition to better drinking water quality, operating costs were cut by 81%!
Conclusion
The system was neatly installed in two mechanical rooms, an office, a choir room, and a commercial kitchen. All iron filter and softener tanks have dedicated bypass valves and can be easily disconnected for future service/cleaning. The reverse osmosis systems were wall-mounted at eye level to make future filter changes a snap. Lastly, the bottle-less coolers are completely sealed for sanitary water storage.
Bottle-less Water Cooler
“The odor and rust is gone. We used to get complaints about a rotten egg smell but we don’t get those anymore. The drinking water is clean and tastes great.”
B. Hendrickson – Facilities Manager
Water Quality Before
Hardness: 20gpg*
Total Iron: 3ppm**
TDS: 375ppm***
Water Quality After
Hardness: 0.5gpg
Total Iron: 0.0ppm
TDS: 27ppm
*5gpg is the average national hardness
**0.3ppm iron is the limit before staining begins
***100ppm+ TDS decreases ice cube clarity
Click here to download this case study as a PDF
Premier Water is a Chanhassen, MN based company that provides residential and commercial water softening, filtration, and purification solutions. Capabilities range from small point-of-use systems up to high volume whole-house/whole-business applications. Please call (952) 479-4553 for more details.
A new study found that tens of millions of people in Bangladesh have been exposed to poisonous levels of arsenic from contaminated groundwater. Millions of villagers get their water from private wells that have naturally high levels of arsenic.
The Lancet study found that as many as 77 million people, or half the population of Bangladesh, may have been exposed to toxic levels of arsenic. They followed 12,000 Bangladeshis over the course of 10 years and found more than 20% of deaths were caused by arsenic.
Chronic arsenic exposure can lead to heart disease and cancers of the liver, kidney, bladders and skin—even at relatively low levels of exposure:
Compared to those exposed to the lowest arsenic levels (less than 10 microgrammes of arsenic per litre of water), those with levels of 10-50ppb had a 34% higher risk of death.
The World Health Organization calls this “the largest mass poisoning of a population in history”. But what’s going on in Bangladesh is not unique. More than 70 countries around the world have issues with arsenic in their groundwater including the U.S.
The Minnesota Department of Health has found that 15% of private wells in Minnesota exceed 10ppb of Arsenic as shown on this map:
Minnesota Arsenic levels
Premier Water has a successful track record of removing both Arsenic III and IV with reverse osmosis drinking water systems, and Pureoflow whole-house/business purification systems. Call us at (952) 479-4553 to find out more.
Local author and financial expert Rob Severson had typical Deephaven well water: rusty, stinky, and hard. He had rented a water softener for years, and it kind of worked. They still fought rust stains, cringed at the odor, and they had to buy bottled water. They were ready for an upgrade.
“I was in the middle of a kitchen remodel and didn’t want my new appliances to get destroyed like the old ones. We had constant rust problems that were affecting our home and my wife’s hair too.”
Rob contacted Premier Water to design a water treatment system to meet his needs:
Of the 3 packages we designed, Rob chose a great package using the following systems:
Hellenbrand Iron Curtain Filter
Hellenbrand Water Softener
Hague RO3500 Reverse Osmosis
Complete water system
Our client now has soft, iron-free, odor-free water throughout the entire home. The water coming through his refrigerator is pure, clean, and fresh!
“You did an excellent job setting up my system and explained everything thoroughly to me. I now give my water 5 out of 5 stars!”
Water Quality BEFORE
Hardness: 19gpg
Total Iron: 7ppm
TDS: 355ppm
Water Quality AFTER
Hardness: 0.5gpg
Total Iron: 0.0ppm
TDS: 25ppm
Click here to download this case study as a PDF
5gpg is the average national hardness
0.3ppm iron is the limit before staining begins
100ppm+ TDS decreases ice cube clarity
Premier Water is a Chanhassen, MN based company that provides residential and commercial water softening, filtration, and purification solutions. Capabilities range from small point-of-use systems up to high volume whole-house/whole-business applications. Please call (952) 479-4553 for more details.
Water is often an out-of-sight, out-of-mind commodity. Cities in Anoka County including Andover, Bethel, Blaine, Centerville, Columbus, East Bethel, Ham Lake, Lino Lakes, Linwood Township, Nowthen, Oak Grove, Ramsey, and St. Francis want residents to start thinking about their drinking water.
As part of the Well Water Wise (3W) program, private well owners are being urged to test their water for coliform bacteria and nitrate nitrogen. While annual tests are recommended, only 470 of the county’s 25,000, or about 0.02% of well owners had their water tested in 2009.
Contamination can cause anything from parasites to stomach aches to cancer. Often, people come forward after an illness that their doctor has linked to drinking water.
In a recent Star Tribune Article, Bart Biernat, a county environmental health specialist said:
“So we have people come in and we ask them, ‘When was the last time you tested your well?’ “And they say, ‘Since we moved in 20 years ago.’ It is the sort of thing where we talk to them and they say, ‘Gee, why didn’t anybody tell me this? I didn’t know I was supposed to test my well.’ ”
Elevated nitrate levels — often caused by fertilizer runoff or human or animal waste — can cause “blue baby syndrome,” a potentially fatal illness in bottle-fed babies. In some studies, long-term exposure has been linked to stomach cancer, Biernat said.
Coliform bacteria, common on the ground but unusual in groundwater, can be an indicator of other, more dangerous contaminants, such as E. coli, also a byproduct of feces in the water. It causes severe stomach illness and can lead to dangerous complications, especially in children.
Those conditions are rare in private wells, Biernat said. But they do happen.
Other tests for arsenic, lead, iron, chloride and total hardness, are also something interested residents should look in to.
Premier Water is a local Twin Cities water treatment company based in Chanhassen, MN. We have helped residents and businesses with private well water problems for over 30 years. We have successfully treated these problems with Backwashing Water Filter Systems, Pureoflow Purification Systems, and under-sink Reverse Osmosis systems.
For more information, please contact us at (952) 479-4553.
The original Star Tribune article can be found here.
Come see our booth at the Plymouth Yard and Garden Expo. Register to win a Reverse Osmosis system!
In 1980 Andy Fleckenstein introduced the 5600 valve to the water treatment industry. This iconic valve is still sold today, mostly unchanged from the original design. While it’s far more reliable(average life of 10-12 years) than the rotary valve softeners sold at Sears, Home Depot, Walmart, etc., it is becoming a little outdated.
The Fleck 5600 valve is available in 2 configurations:
1. Time clock control head
2. Metered control head
Fleck 5600 Time Clock Valve
Water softeners that use time clock control heads are no longer considered a legitimate technology by the Water Quality Association (WQA) as they regenerate unnecessarily which wastes water and salt. These units can be identified by the set of push/pull pins on the face of the unit. These pins determine the days the system will regenerate. Older units actually used screws – the pins were a far more user-friendly concept!
Fleck 5600 Metered Valve
The metered, or on-demand, version of the Fleck 5600 is often referred to as the “Econominder” valve. These control heads have a large dial on the front with numbers indicating gallons of soft water. They also have a cable running out of the back of the head connecting to a large plastic dome. Inside this dome there is a turbine that measures water volume much like a city water meter.
We have repaired and replaced 1000′s of water softeners using these valves over the years. While they were relatively reliable, they are quite inefficient compared to the modern Hague WaterMax and Hellenbrand H125 water softeners we carry. The digital controls in the WaterMax and H125 have replaced the “clunky” mechanical controls and a large number of gears and springs found in the old Fleck Control Heads.
Nonetheless, the Fleck 5600 was a very popular valve in the 1980′s and 90′s, and is still found in many homes today.
Come see us at the Hague Water booth at the 2010 Minneapolis Home and Garden Show!
We have sales on all our products, and package deals that could save you $100′s!
The vulnerability of our city water distribution systems to disruption and contamination by potential terrorist or malicious acts has been well documented. These potential attack scenarios have the ability, if orchestrated successfully, to produce casualties on a massive scale.
Studies conducted by personnel at Hach Homeland Security Technologies, Colorado State University and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers among others have shown that attacks on drinking water supplies could be mounted for between $0.05 and $5.00 per death, using rudimentary techniques, and could amass casualties in the thousands over a period of hours.
The simplest form of attack that could inflict mass casualties would be a simple backflow contamination event. A backflow attack occurs when a pump is used to overcome the water pressure in the distribution system’s pipes. This is usually around 80psi and can be easily achieved by using pumps available for rent or purchase at most home improvement stores.
After a contaminant has been pumped in, a siphoning effects acts to pull the contaminant into the flowing system. Once the contaminant is present in the pipes, the normal movement of water in the system will spread the contaminant throughout the city water system.
The introduction point can be anywhere in the system such as a fire hydrant, commercial building or a home. See figure 1.
Fig. 1 All systems are vulnerable to backflow attack.
Backflows accidents happen on a regular basis and are of great concern to the water industry. Accidental backflow events have been found to be responsible for many incidents of water borne illness and even death in the United States. According to the USEPA, backflow events caused 57 disease outbreaks and 9734 cases of water borne disease between 1981 and 1998.
To prevent such accidental backflows many systems have been equipped with backflow prevention devices. These means of preventing backflow are very useful in preventing these common accidental events. Unfortunately, these physical devices that can be removed or disabled quite easily by a terrorist, rendering them ineffective in preventing deliberate attempts at contamination by all but the most amateurish perpetrators.
Studies conducted by the U.S. Air Force and Colorado State University have shown that a few gallons of highly toxic material, if injected at a strategic location, would contaminate an entire system supplying a population of 100,000 people in a matter of a few hours.
Using computer simulations, when a military nerve agent material was used over 20% of the population was determined to have received a dose adequate to result in death and when a common chemical was used in place of the warfare agent the result was a casualty rate of over 10%.
Thousands of deaths could result from this very inexpensive and low-tech mode of attack. There is no doubt that this form of assault meets all of the terrorist’s criteria for an attack. It would cause mass casualties, be inexpensive, and actually offer the terrorists a good chance of avoiding apprehension.
These sorts of attacks can occur from any access point to the water system. Wherever water can be drawn out, material can be forced back into the system. Some areas, however, are more vulnerable than others. Access points near high flow areas and larger pipes would be favored because they would disseminate the material to a wider area more quickly.
It should be obvious from the large number of accidental backflows that occur and the fact that terrorist organizations have shown an interest in attacking water, the distribution system is a prime candidate for such an attack.
The fact is a bona fide terrorist is virtually inundated by possible candidate substances and locations that would be very effective in such a role. The possibilities are virtually endless. Protecting against and/or detecting such an attack is difficult.
Recent breakthroughs in the online detection of contaminants have made the deployment of a cost effective early warning system capable of detecting and categorizing such events a reality. The simple truth is that these systems are not widely deployed.
This is a re-hash of an article written by Dan Kroll and Katy Craig of Hach Homeland Security Technologies.
1. Kroll,Dan. 2006. Securing Our Water Supply: Protecting a Vulnerable Resource.
PennWell Publishers. Tulsa, Oklahoma.
2. Hickman, Donald C. 1999. A chemical and biological warfare threat: USAF water systems at risk. Counter Proliferation paper No. 3. USAF Counter Proliferation Center, Air War College.
3. Kroll, Dan. 2003. Mass Casualties on a Budget. Confidential Briefing Paper. Hach HST.
4. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. n.d. Calculations on threat agents and requirements and logistics for mounting a successful backflow attack.
5. Allman, T.P. 2003. Drinking water distribution system modeling for predicting the impact and detection of intentional contamination. Master’s Thesis. Department of Civil Engineering. Colorado State University.
6. USEPA 2002. Potential Contamination Due to Cross-Connections and backflow and the Associated health risks: An Issue Paper.
7. Allman, Timothy and Kenneth Carlson. 2005. Modeling Intentional Distribution System Contamination and Detection. Journal of the American Water Works Association.
January. Note: that the executive summary of this article is still available but the full text has been pulled from the AWWA website for security reasons as it was
determined that the details could be helpful to would be terrorists.
8. EPA. Water Security and You. http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/pubs/water-security-article.pdf
