Water ph metals from ENENEWS comment

Daisy207

February 25, 2014 at 7:24 pm · Reply

It depends on the source. I sample water – that's what I do – and I drill wells (at least supervise), I map contamination and design water treatment systems. I have one area where the geology just stinks but there is no public water supply and everyone is on wells.  The main problems (beside a gasoline spill that i deal with separately), are the metals in the water and the low pH.  Now one of the biggest problems is iron – up to 30 parts per million (ppm or 30 mg/l). Its not particularly toxic but its awful – makes sinks and other bath fixtures red and stained and it discolors clothes. It tastes awful in the water so we treat it and remove as much as we can.  The other two problems are not as easily addressed – arsenic and copper. You see, there is gold in this formation, and you always get an association of arsenic and copper – while the iron is annoying, the arsenic and copper are in the range of 1-0.05 mg/l range.  Copper is regulated at 1.0 mg/l and arsenic at 0.01 micrograms per liter. You can't taste them, smell them nor do they stain fixtures or effect the taste of coffee – but they are highly toxic – especially the arsenic for people and the copper for fish and pets – but also certain people that get depression. It I raise the pH too high to get rid of the iron, I can mobilize the arsenic and copper because they behave more amphoteric than the iron. (amphoteric means they can easily go into solution at both a low pH and a high ph) –  The point is that they are all metals – you treat them about the same to get rid of them but not all metals behave in the same way – some are annoying and some are toxic even at low concentrations.  All the heavy metals that are radioactive emitters as well as metals – are toxic just because of their metal behavior and their molecular weight – add in radiation – and you have a super toxic soup.  That being said – the ones dissolved in water that are oxides, chlorides, or other salts can somewhat be removed and precipitated into a highly toxic sludge by simple pH adjustment and CaCO3 or KMg3 filters (not all by any means)-however tritium (H3) (heavy hydrogen) cannot.  Hydrogen is a metal – even though we think of it as a gas – its to the left on the periodic table. Its a really bad one in that it can be easily incorporated into almost all life forms killing cells along the way. The problem with the treatment is that you create a waste that is just as toxic – or more so – than you started with because its more concentrated – now what do you do with it. Its not refined metal – so it can't reach critical mass – but its still hot as hell and you need a disposal site. We just should not be creating this stuff in the first place.

3 Vegetables for Winter Gardening

http://www.offthegridnews.com/2014/02/19/3-vegetables-you-can-grow-all-winter-even-without-a-garden/

More Ski pix

 Low tech, kayak anchor line adapted to Skijourning

 Ban hunting a rabbit

 At the Sports Corner in Dheinsville, they have a special lunch everyday and it is good and cheap, 16 chicken wings for $4 (not shown), and 16 flavors of wings to choose from.

 Ban and Hana can both pull even if the skier doesnt do a thing.

 Its a good workout!

 At the Homestead Hollow Park.  

 Warm day, shirt only

 Holy Shite!  I am a sled dog!

SkiJourning Mushing with German Shepherds

Cold beer on a warm deck

 

 

Ya, das ess gute

Cooling off after a long pull

 

 

Nice day

 

 

Hana, ZERO focus on the second day, already basking too much in her previous sucess 

 

Jeep is finally clean! 

 

 

 Eh Banchan, I won't run over you (again) just kidding.

 

Boat Resources Links

Ideas

Movable 12V cooler
Pizza Oven
2 compartment sink
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http://www.grillsforboats.com/boat-coolers.html

http://theboatgalley.com/

http://www.boat-project.com/index.html

http://www.marinedeal.com/shoppingcart.asp?Check=True

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Engine bay soundproofing
and more

http://www.sailorssolutions.com/?page=Products&SubCategoryID=121&SubCategory=Soundproofing&Category=Engine%20Room

 

Pesticides and Gardening

Certain pesticides approved for general use can severely damage earthworms.

Carbaryl (Sevin), one of the most commonly used home garden chemical pesticides, is deadly to earthworms even at low levels.

Malathion is moderately toxic to worms.

Diazinon has not been shown to be at all harmful to earthworms when used at normal rates.

Solomon, Steve (2011-03-24). Organic Gardener's Composting (p. 95).  . Kindle Edition.

Sustainable Gardening Ideas

archived here from this great site!

http://preparednessmama.com/permaculture-principles/

 

Principle #1 – Produce No Waste

Actively look for ways to re-use the leftovers from your garden. Here are some ideas

• Compost your kitchen scraps, yard trimmings and animal manure (but not from cats and dogs, please!)
• Begin vermicomposting. Red wigglers are your friend. They convert organic waste and vegetable scraps into amazing soil amendments.
• Make compost and manure tea to give your vegetable garden the nutrients it needs.

Principle #2 – Use the Edges

Make use of all the possible space you have for growing, no area is insignificant.

Photo courtesy of Texas Co-op Power http://www.texascooppower.com/texas-stories/nature-outdoors/keyhole-gardening

• Design your herb, vegetable and flower beds in unusual shapes
• Use the spaces closest to your house to grow the most used vegetables. Planting in pots and on decks and patios.
• Make a keyhole bed to conserve water and space. One of the basic ideas is that it provides easy access with minimum path-to-bed ratio – a “least path” design. The horseshoe-shaped beds are sized so you can easily reach the entire area standing in the keyhole. The beds can be situated near the house for quick access, or along your main pathway. Here is a fantastic article about creating a 6 foot keyhole garden from recycled paper and cardboard. It incorporates a compost bin in the middle.
• Grow heat loving vines like beans, grapes, kiwi, melons and squash on the side of a stucco or brick wall to benefit from stored thermal heat.
• Grandma had it right. Her herb garden was always outside the kitchen door!

Principle #3 – Incorporate Perennial Crops in Your Landscape

Perennial crops don’t need to be replanted every year so they conserve energy and the soil is not disturbed as much. That means less work for a busy gardener. Your yields might be slow at first, but these perennial edibles will produce for years in your garden. If you plant and properly manage an asparagus patch, it can produce for 15 to 20 years. That certainly conserves my energy!
Some perennial plants to consider:

• Asparagus
• Chicory
• Dandelion
• Rhubarb
• Sweet potato
• Walking onion
• Sorrel
• Comfrey
• Horseradish
• Jerusalem artichoke (Sunchoke)
• Artichoke
• Purple Tree Collards
• Bamboo
• Fruit trees
• Berries (black, red, blue, straw)
• Nuts

Principle #4 – Harvest Water in the Garden

How much water does your garden need each season? Plants need water for cell division, cell enlargement, and even for holding themselves up. If the cells don’t have enough water in them, the result is a wilted plant. In hot weather your vegetables will need at least 1/2 an inch of water per week.

• Build your soil so it can retain maximum water. If your soil allows water to rush off of your property, then it is likely that it can become more absorbent.
• Consider roof catchment when possible. Even in low rainfall areas, you can lose hundreds of gallons of rainwater. It can be channeled through downspouts and be collected in cisterns or barrels, for use in your garden. I’m going to place a rain barrel on my chicken coop this year.
• Utilize compost and mulch, sheet mulching and cover crops.
• Water only the root zones – have you ever placed a PVC pipe or upside down pop bottle with holes next to your tomato plants roots?

The ideas in this post come from the book: The Vegetable Gardener’s Guide to Permaculture: Creating an Edible Ecosystem by Christopher Shein. There are so many wonderful Permaculture design ideas, tips and tricks in here! I’ve added it to my gardening resource library to use as I continue to study Permaculture. Christopher’s website is a great place to stop if you are looking for more information and don’t miss the resources page.
Other books that will give you information about the principles of Permaculture:
Getting Started in Permaculture by Ross and Jenny Mars
Perennial Vegetables –A Gardeners Guide to Over 100 Delicious, Easy-to-Grow Edibles by Eric Toensmeier
This is one of my favorite books. It encourages me to be self-reliant. I love the way she brings it all together – I find it magical and I read it every year. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. Also visit her website for more information.
Composting is where its at! Organic Gardener’s Composting by Steve Solomon is free on Amazon as I write this, but well worth it even if you have to pay. I refer to it frequently. Another stand by in my gardening library is Let it Rot!: The Gardener’s Guide to Composting by Stu Campbell.
Websites to check out:
www.greywateraction.org
www.urbanpermacultureguild.org
www.harvestingrainwater.com

Summer fun / Summerfest

Summerfest---Bruno Mars, Gaga, Dave Matthews, and others still to be announced and 900 other performances (mostly free with general admission)

http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/festivals/summerfest2014/bruno-mars-to-headline-summerfest-in-milwaukee-june-25-b99184534z1-240182521.html

The Port of Port Washington

http://www.port-washingtonmarina.com/