The Friends of Waterbury Reservoir is committed to protecting and preserving the wildlife that shares this amazing resource with us. In recent years, we have noticed a lot of fishing line and tackle discarded carelessly at access areas, and in foliage along the shoreline. This material has the potential to cause injury or even death to our birds and aquatic mammals. This potential for harm became a reality in 2020 when a cormorant became entangled in discarded fishing line on the reservoir. The bird faced a slow and painful death by starvation, but our hero Ranger Chad Ummel managed to catch the bird and free it from its entanglements.
Visitors to the reservoir have been enthralled by our eagles, loons, herons, and more…each of which faces the same risks as the rescued cormorant. In Vermont, numerous loons have had to be rescued from fishing line in the past few years, and one recently was severely injured by a discarded lure. We looked for a way to prevent any bird or animal tragedies on the Waterbury Reservoir. We decided to take the approach of offering a safe and easy way for anglers to dispose of unwanted fishing line, and to institute a campaign emphasizing the dangers posed to wildlife by improperly discarded fishing line and tackle.
In other states, monofilament line recycling bins have been installed at popular fishing sites. BoatUS Foundation provides plans for such bins, as well as stickers and signage to be placed near their locations. (https://www.boatus.org/clean-boating/recycling/fishing-line-recycling/) FWR thought this might be a good project for us! We received approval from Vermont State Parks to install the bins at 3 locations, on a trial basis. We all had concerns about vandalism and improper use of the bins for trash disposal and agreed to check the bins a few times each week.
Have you thought about purchasing and installing different types of water purifiers in your home? Many people find that they improve the quality of life around the house and allow them to make better use of their water supplies. As you continue to think about what water purifier to buy, ask these five questions. The answers will help you decide which water purifier is the best one.
Do I Need a Water Purifier? Why Water Purifiers are Important?
Some people believe that water filters andwater purifiers are not all that important. Water purifiers point toward the efforts made by the local municipality to supply water that is suitable for consumption. Without minimizing the efforts made by your local community, the fact is there is more to clean water than what happens at those huge purification stations.
Factors like the residue found in your home plumbing can also affect water quality. If you have a home water purifier, you can remove that residue and enjoy water that tastes better and is better for you.
Those who rely on water from wells or a local pond or lake should also consider installing some type of water purifiers. Regular checks of the water itself will reveal what sort of contaminants are present. That information will help you decide what water purifier is best for your need.
How are Water Purifiers Certified?
The Standards Council of Canada uses specific ANSI/NSF standards to certify best water purifier systems. There are six standards in all for water purifiers, with each one relating to softening, distilling, and purification treatments and systems. In order to certify specific devices, the Council has authorized three certification bodies: Underwriters Laboratories, NSF International, and CSA International. The latter is specifically authorized to issue certifications for drinking water treatment units related to health effects and aesthetic effects.
Remember that you only want to buy a water purifier that is properly certified. Anything lesser will not provide the benefits you want and is likely to not hold up well to ongoing use.
Will I Need to Take Mineral Supplements If I Use a Water Purifier?
There are those who believe it’s necessary to purchase and take mineral supplements if you install a water purifier and filter. The logic behind that belief has to do with how much mineral content is removed from the water. In fact, most people obtain most of the vitamins and minerals they need from food.
If you follow a balanced diet, the relatively small amount of healthy minerals removed from the water will make no difference. What will happen is that you will no longer consume other contaminants that may be interfering with your body’s ability to effectively absorb minerals from your food.
Water is essential for life. But the quality of water that we consume every day is becoming dangerous for our health. To improve the quality of water for daily use, it is now mandatory to install water filters in our home. But people tend to make mistakes while buying a water filters in various aspects including purpose, flow rate and capacity.
Every filter works best on its own, but it is not necessary that it works best for your requirements too. Before buying a water filter you should go through a thorough analysis and research to get the best solution for your water filtration needs.
Water Filter Buying Guide: Things to Consider Before Buying Water Purifier
Test water quality of your supply
What type of source do you use for your daily usage? Most of the filtration requirements are defined by the source of water you use. The very first thing to do is test quality of water that is supplied to you. There are easy to use checkup kits available or you can even call an expert to do the job. You need to install a water filter only if your water source is contaminated. There are mainly two types of water sources:
Private or individual
Private source includes bottled water, spring water, and water from ponds, shallow wells, streams, ponds and river canals. Private sources also include individually created sources like rainwater harvesting, residential bores, cisterns.
Public
The United States safe drinking water act identifies public sources as the ones provided by public entities like local government supply, ration water tanks and city water systems.
If you get water from a private source like well and bottled water, then you can eliminate contamination from the source itself. But rivers, ponds, streams require a lot of expense and time to be cleaned. Natural private sources are not reliable in terms of quality. So, a water filter is required.
In case of public water sources, you can file a complaint against the water contamination and quality to the local authorities which may not be effective readily. If the water from a public source is contaminated, you need to get a water filter installed fit for your needs.
Check your home water system
If the water report and tests do not show any hazardous contamination in your water supply, then the problem may be in your house water system. Check for leakage in all faucets and pipelines going around your house. Make sure that the surroundings of your house are clean and there is no clogged drainage around your supply line. Metal water pipes slowly accumulate rust and other organic contaminants due to moisture. The pipes throughout the house should be cleaned quarterly to prevent organic growth and rust.
Understand your needs
Water filters eliminate only the specific contaminants that they mention in their labels. Be aware of what kind of contamination prevails in your water supply. Check the list of contaminants the water filter you want to buy eliminates. Analyze your daily consumption of water based on purpose like drinking, washing, bathing and cooking. If you need water purification for all your needs, whole house filters with Point of Entry system are the right fit. If the water purification is required only for drinking or bathing purpose, then point of use filters like RO filters, under sink filters and countertop water filters.
Explore the categories
With advancement in water filtration technology, there are many processes available today to purify water. There are many categories of water filters based on performance, durability, maintenance and cost which fit all types of water filtration solutions ranging from personal home to a commercial industry.
Maintenance cost
The maintenance cost of all filter categories varies highly. While many filters may come cheap in cost, the maintenance like replacement of cartridges and hoses is costly. So get detailed maintenance and repair costs of your water filter from the company before buying them.
Water filters are not a one-time investment. They need regular maintenance depending on the quality of the cartridges. Many companies provide features like quality index and security alarms for cartridges replacement which are beneficial. If the filters are regularly maintained the quality of water deteriorates, hoses may choke and power consumption increases.
Beware of scams
Do water filters actually work? Are you going to be scammed with an overrated device with false promises? Is doorstep water test trustable?
In case of any health related product, you should be aware of the scams that go around to stay alert and prevent getting scammed yourself. It highly depends on the company that you buy the water filter from. There are many companies that provide water filters at very low costs. They are mostly fake or ineffective. Water filtration is not a cheap process and any person who sells them at unbelievably low price is probably scamming you.
In recent news, many water filter scams have come into lime light. The worst of all was the door step sales and service scam to test your water quality and provide fake water filters. While there are many reputed companies that provide door step sales and service feature, they do not approach you without your solicitation.
Do you think that your water filter throws out more water than it purifies?
Then, you may be a victim of another scam. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) does not allow more than 30% of water to seep out from waste hose. But due to this scam being neglected, almost 3 liters of water seeps out to provide 1 liter of pure water.
Buy only certified water filters
The reviews not only help in finding a water filter company that is legitimate, they also help you find the right one for your requirements. Customer feedback is one of the best ways to find a good water filter company both for the product quality and performance and the post sales services and warranty.
You can also compare the price of the water filters online. If the price of another product with the same features is low, it is anyway beneficial for your pockets.
Important Note – Always read the description and contaminant list that he water filter eliminates. Never install water filters on your own as that voids the warranty. Read the instructions of use carefully for optimum performance.
