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Thanks for the kind comment and call to action. We really do need to do a better job getting the word out, but it can be challenging communicating with all the small water districts out there.

It could be iron and manganese, but it's hard to tell just based on that description. My advice is to get it tested to be sure. It could also be biogenic.

You are correct. I even did a sound check ahead of time, so I am not sure what happened. I will have to re-record this, I guess.

Glad it was helpful!

I would generally round up to be a bit conservative. LSI is not a precise measurement, so a little rounding should not hurt your interpretation. Of course, things can vary by your specific circumstance, so looking at the rest of the numbers may dictate a different approach.

@@thegroundwaterguy thank you!

Thanks for watching!

Glad it was helpful!

Noted! I need to do better on pre-livestream sound checks!

They are available from a variety of vendors, although I'm not sure I would call them at home tests, since they usually involve an extraction process for the arsenic, making the test a two-step process. Here is one example that I have used myself: sensafe.com/arsenic-low-range-quick/

Glad it was helpful!

I have to admit that I am not an RO expert, but I can tell you that 210 TDS is not that bad, and you are using some pre-filtration before the RO unit so I am wondering if there is some issue with the water softener. What about checking TDS out of the water softener?

Thanks for the reply. My water softener doesn’t reduce my TDS. Tds numbers out of my well water and out the water softener are exactly the same.

A water softener is basically an ion exchange system, so the components causing your TDS problems are likely not reactive and thus not going to be treated by the ion exchange resin. You are probably going to need to do a complete laboratory analysis of your water and determine what makes up your TDS. At that point, you can then come up with a custom water treatment system to deal with the issue. There are local water treatment companies like Culligan, Pelican, etc. that can take your water analytical data and put together a system to get you to near zero on TDS, but until you know the specifics of what makes up your TDS, it is going to be challenging to come up with an appropriate treatment system you may end up spending money that you might not have to. It's best to have specific data on water quality before you invest a lot in a treatment system. @@VIPReefAquariums

@@thegroundwaterguy I totally agree with you. Going to do that and try to really hit the nail on the head on this one. Thanks for the reply.

It is really hard to find geopolitical commentary that does not have some sort of bias, but I tried hard on this one not to be biased but as factual as possible. The whole Israel-Palestine issue is very emotional, but when it comes to water, there are facts that are indisputable. Thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it!

The maps showed the aquifer was depleted where Hamas dug the majority of their tunnels so filling them with sea water won't have any effect on the water quality.

Once you have salt water intrusion, it is very difficult to fix without active correction measures like fresh water injection to push back the salt water. It seems unlikely such measures will ever be implemented in the Gaza Strip, so the high salinity is likely a permanent issue.

This is true - at least a very minimal effect that will not be noticeable. The main issue with salt water intrusion is widespread overdraft in the groundwater basin and flooding a few tunnels with sea water will have a negligible effect on increasing salinity in the aquifer. @@billwilson-es5yn

@@thegroundwaterguy They have a problem with natural salt water intrusion in West Texas that's not related to over pumping since few people live out there. The oil companies drilled dry exploration wells and shot the casings where they found fresh water so the rancher could have a well for his cattle. The fresh water in the aquifer also exited thru springs so the saline water in the northern part of the aquifer that was gradually migrating south would reach the dry hole water wells. The city of El Paso was obtaining fresh water from regional aquifer that became saline from salt water intrusion so had to build desalination plants to keep it as a source of water. I believe Israel is operating desal plants in the West Bank to keep saline water from intruding into the fresh water aquifers that outcrop there in the recharge zones. We had a somewhat similar problem in East Texas with shallow aquifers being intruded by water passing thru iron ore deposits. New construction covered up the recharge zones or diverted the runoff to creeks. Ranchers and home owners were using the fresh water for irrigation so the iron rich water was able to push its way inside the aquifer. People stopped using it since the water turned everything orange so the iron rich water started seeping out of driveway expansion joints and from lawns to run over the curbs to leave a thick coat of iron oxides on the concrete surfaces. The city was having an erosion problem in the drainage creeks when high volumes of water raced thru after heavy rainfalls so came up with a practical solution. They purchased the low lying land that required fill to build on and turned those into retention ponds since those could recharge the shallow aquifer. All new construction (large commercial developments) had to construct retention ponds that did the same thing with overflow standpipes that directed the excess water into the creeks. That steady inflow of fresh water displaced the iron rich water and has prevented further intrusion. The neighborhoods that once had rusty drives, curbs and gutters now could see them stay clean after being acid washed or replaced.

Usually, the sulfur is going to be SRB, especially if you have a reducing/anaerobic environment, as indicated by the negative ORP. A way to check for sure would be using appropriate BART tests. They are relatively cheap and yield pretty reliable results.

Thanks! Will do!

Generally, the best bet is to take a water sample and submit it to an analytical lab in an appropriate container. Usually, the manganese will be part of a suite of analytes to be tested, so you will likely test for iron and some other constituents unless you are specifically focused on manganese. There are some colorimetric testing methods that will give you an indication of manganese levels but they are less accurate than sending a sample to a lab.

Glad it was helpful!

I'll have to research the topic, but I'll put it on my list of future videos. Thanks for the comment!

Definitely true. We are definitely in the decline phase of the Global American Empire. Perpetual war is what kills empires, and no one ever seems to learn that lesson.

You're welcome

I get what you are saying, and I am working on getting some speakers on specific TBAs, but this was really an overview that was looking at policy and geopolitical implications of TBAs. I think Dr. Sanchez did a great job in describing the challenges of developing international policies and agreements to deal with TBAs. Even here in the U.S., we had a recent Supreme Court decision on the Mississippi vs Tennessee interstate water allocation dispute that drug on for years. The hydrogeology of the Memphis/Sparta Sand is relatively straightforward, but the laws and politics were not clear at all, thus the Supreme Court decision. Magnify that to an international scale and you can see the extent of the problem. Science can often take a back seat to the law, it seems.

Good point - thank you.

It's actually based on my experience. We started developing key performance indicators for water well performance and expanded it to water utility management in general. I have not been able to find any good information on performance measurement for water utilities - just dribs and drabs here and there, but nothing very systematic in approach. It's a big gap as I see it because if you don't measure it, you can't track the performance. As far as sustainability goes, here is a link that may provide some useful information to you: www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-01/documents/planning-for-sustainability-a-handbook-for-water-and-wastewater-utilities.pdf

One of the best ways might be to use the National Geologic Map Database (ngmdb.usgs.gov/) to view the geologic maps for that particular area. You should be able to view the available online geologic maps right from your browser. Another option is the application 'Rockd' on your cell phone. Rockd will tell you what rock formation you are in by geolocating you in reference to their geologic mapping. The mapping is fairly generallized, but I have found it to be reasonably accurate. The only trick is that you have to be physically present at a location for it to tell you what the formations are. I hope that helps!

I was having some mic issues. I'll have to check the recording and see if there is anything I can do to enhance the sound. Thanks for letting me know!

My pleasure!

My pleasure!

Great suggestion! I hear you and I am working on that. I tend to try to pack in too much stuff when I should really break it into a part 1 and part 2 or something like that.

Glad you enjoyed it

Manganese in water wells is rarely or ever the result of man-made contaminants. Anthropogenic concerns include things like nitrates, PFAS, PCE, TCE, perchlorate and gasoline-related compounds. Naturally-occurring contaminants include things like arsenic, radionuclides, manganese, iron. As a matter of fact, arsenic is the biggest contaminant of water wells in the world and it is almost always naturally-occurring.

Horse shit. Blasting and land development not to mention injection pits it on the move

At any rate can you answer the question? Who is not your work sheet please

@@CCerwin This particular show deals specifically with causes and treatment of elevated manganese in water supply wells. A general discussion of contaminants in water wells is a much more involved topic and would take much more time than is available in a 45-minute video. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to contaminants in water supply wells, so we deal with them on an individual basis. I do not believe I discussed anything about worksheets in this video, so I am not clear what you are referencing when you refer to a worksheet.

Clearly funded by “Big Manganese”

Things have changed a lot since the days of plane tables, but even then the prep work was essential. I remember it taking weeks to order historical aerial photos and the time spend analyzing them.