Did
you know?
Reverse osmosis is the finest water filtration method known. This process will
allow the removal of particles as small as ions from a solution. It is used
to purify water and remove salts and other impurities in order to improve the
color, taste or properties of the fluid. R.O. uses a membrane that is semi-permeable,
allowing the fluid that is being purified to pass through it, while rejecting
other ions and contaminants from passing. This technology uses a process
known as crossflow to allow the r.o. membrane to continually clean itself. This
is the reason of why an r.o. element can last many years before clogging or
need replacement. This
water purification process requires a driving force to push the fluid through
the membrane, and the most common force is household water pressure or pressure
from a booster pump. The higher the pressure, the larger the driving force and
efficiency.
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AGE OF GROUNDWATER
The
period of time since groundwater fell as rain can now be estimated by
a technique based on the amount of tritium found in groundwater. This
technique was developed by Dr. Willard Libby, who was one of the members
of the Atomic Energy Commission, and some of his former
associates at the Institute for Nuclear Research at the University of
Chicago.
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, believed to
be formed in the atmosphere from the action of cosmic rays on ordinary
hydrogen. Thus, tritium is found in all atmospheric water, such as rain
and snow. As a radioactive material, tritium gradually decays or decomposes
into simpler substances, and has a known "half-life" of 12'/2
years. That is, one half of the radioactive form is dissipated in 12 1/2
years. An additional half is lost in the succeeding 121/2 years,
and so on until the amount remaining is too small to be measured.
Isotopes. Forms of atoms of an element which differ in their masses, due to variations
in the numbers of mass particles in their nuclei. Hydrogen has three known
isotopes: the most common form has only a proton (a relative mass of one
and a single positive electrical charge) in its nucleus; a second isotope
known as "deuterium" has one proton and a neutron (neutral in
charge and also with a relative mass of one) in its nucleus, and thus
a relative mass of two; a third isotope known as "tritium" has
two neutrons and a single proton in its nucleus, and thus has a relative
mass of three.
As the approximate amount of tritium originally present in water as it
fell as rain is known and the amount remaining can be measured, the length
of time underground can be calculated unless the amount remaining is too
small to be detected by the instruments currently available.
Tests of this type on deep well water from several locations in Nebraska
indicated underground water ages of about 14 to 61 years; tests
GROUND WATER
ZONES AND BELTS
on Illinois
water gave ages of 50 to more than 100 years. (Beyond 100 years, the tritium
concentrations could not be measured accurately.) These ages are generally
in keeping with the anticipated values when all the hydrologic factors
in each area are considered.
As the diagram shows, water must travel through various strata before becoming
groundÂwater. Below the surface it moves first through the subsoil (the
belt of soil water), the intermediate layer, the capillary fringe and
finally into the groundwater bed.
These layers vary in depth and are not too sharply defined.
In fact, there is a gradual transition from one to another until the ground water
level or zone of saturation is reached. Even after water moves into the
topsoil and subsoil, much of it may still return to the atmosphere either
through evaporation or transpiration. Water is held in the subsoil by
molecular attraction. It is only after sufficient water has accumulated
here that it begins to seep downward under the pull of gravity. The subsoil
may extend down 50 feet. It supplies the water needed for the growth of
vegetation. Consequently, it is extremely important to farmers.
Water in the intermediate belt is generally considered in "dead storage."
To all intents and purposes it is suspended and does not flow into wells.
This belt varies from a hairsbreadth to several hundred feet.
Below lies the capillary fringe. Water in this fringe is
continuous with the water in the zone of saturation but is held back by
capillary action. The thickness of this capillary fringe depends on its
composition. In silty materials it may extend down for several feet. In
coarse, gravelly materials it may go down less than an inch. Even in this
capillary fringe, water will still not enter well systems. It is only
when it reaches the zone of saturation that it may be drawn back up to
the surface by wells.
Capillary action.
Where water touches a solid, capillary action causes the water at that
point to rise higher than that portion of its surface not in contact with
the solid.
Capillary action is due to adhesion, cohesion and surface tension. Capillarity
is one of the causes of water's rising in the sail as
in the
capillary fringe. Kerosene rising in the wick of an old-fashioned lamp
is another example of this seeming contradiction of the law of gravity.
This
zone of saturation forms a huge natural reservoir that feeds springs and
streams in addition to our wells. Its thickness varies from two to hundreds
of feet, depending on local geologic conditions. The upper surface of
the zone of saturation is neither stationary nor level. It possesses many
surface irregularities and may range up or down many feet over a period
of years at any given location. The fluctuations in its content depend
on the amount of recharge and pumpage.
In
general, the contours of the water table parallel the surface contours.
However, the water table goes deeper under high elevations and rises nearer
to the surface under lower elevations. At springs and flowing streams,
the surface and water table elevations coincide. Below the economically
important zone of saturation lies dense, solid rock. While this rock is
known to hold substantial amounts of internal water, there is no practical
way of bringing it to the surface.
GROUNDWATER
Under
most conditions, groundwater supplies are higher in mineral content than
surface waters in the same area. This is due to their longer exposure
to rock formations. Exceptions do occur, as when surface waters originate
in a region of relatively soluble rock and later flow into an area of
less soluble rock. In such cases ground waters in the latter area may
be lower in mineral content than that of surface waters.
meanwhile,
as water seeps through the ground and adds to its mineral content, much
of its suspended matter, color and bacterial content are filtered out.
Thus, a deep well is likely to provide water that is clear, colorless
and low in bacterial count. Of course, there are exceptions. it might
be expected that the deeper wells go, the more highly mineralized are
their waters. In some shallow wells, however, the mineral absorption is
greater than for deep wells in the same general area
According
to recent news and reports, most tap and well water in the U.S. are not
safe for drinking due to heavy industrial and environmental pollution.
Toxic bacteria, chemicals and heavy metals routinely penetrate and pollute
our natural water sources making people sick while exposing them to long
term health consequences such as liver damage, cancer and other serious
conditions. We have reached the point where all sources of our drinking
water, including municipal water systems, wells, lakes, rivers, and even
glaciers, contain some level of contamination. Even some brands of bottled
water have been found to contain high levels of contaminants in addition
to plastics chemical leaching from the bottle.
A good water
filtration system installed in your home is the only way to proactively
monitor and ensure the quality and safety of your drinking water. Reverse
osmosis water purification systems can remove 90-99% of all contaminants
from city and well water to deliver healthy drinking water for you and
your family.
Healthy and Convenient!
Our Featured Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System
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