Matters Microbial #72: Who is in Your Water?

[@alijawad2042]

That was fascinating. Thank you very much !!

[@jamesbrowne1004]

Always find these exciting and informative. I worked around WQ analysis, and the lab director did his masters on the chemistry of the reactions between treatment and chemicals in the source water. It was interesting that the topic was. Mentioned. My work was more geared to Ecology, and I'm working in eDNA samples as I listen to this. The genetics part sounds familiar. Finally, I also spent quite a bit of time on insects. Have you heard of moth flies? The larvae of this group live on the biofilms that you are discussing. The drinking water spillover channels in sinks, urinals, tubs, and tanks provide habits for these harmless little flies. I find it entertaining when people complain about seeing them, but they are virtually impossible to avoid. Great video.

[@spamletspamley672]

@@jamesbrowne1004 I have moth flies that occasionally emerge into the bathroom. They are no trouble: unlike the sciarrid flies that swarm from my plant pots, even when plunged in 12% hydrogen peroxide, or outnumbered thousands to one with 'predatory nematodes, supposedly laden with deadly bacteria'! :(

[@spamletspamley672]

Also @Mark I used to operate a zeolite resin large deionised water making unit. The resin had to be recharged when the conductivity started to increase. Then I would put a pump tube straight into a 50l carboy of HCl on one side, and of conc NaOH on the other side, and wash the resin thoroughly with each. Whenever I had to take apart the pipes for any reason, there was always plenty of 'weed' inside--as there was in the various acid and alkali baths of the anodising plant that we used the water for!

[@spamletspamley672]

Dr Pinto is very trusting that Indian bottled water suppliers don't just fill up from the mains. :)

[@spamletspamley672]

@Mark Re Snow. London is ina geological basin, and the artesian pressure from the surrounding 'downs'' hills, was enough that the fountains in Trafalgar Square, originally worked without pumps, and fresh water springs bubbled up in the Thames when the tide was out. However, as factories and breweries built more and more wells, extracting water, and letting the waste go directly into the river, the artesian replenishment could not keep up, so the wells started drawing contaminated water down from the river, until the 'Embankment' was built to cover a pipe that intercepted the land drainage of mostly sewage, and took it further down stream away from the town centre. They are buliding an even bigger one now to take it even further out! Shame we are unlikely to see natural fountains in London again, any time soon. (Though, one time, even wild hippos played there!).

[@spamletspamley672]

Oh, and, I forgot that, because Snow was so successful at shutting down community wells, and water cos got down to bringing in water from cleaner surface waters from afar, the groundwater under London started to rise again, making buildings unstable, and requiring pumping out of some of the underground railway system. I'm not up to date on the current situation though.

[@BcClarity]

HNY Dr Martin

[@spamletspamley672]

I don't know about US systems, but UK buildings used to have water tanks in the roof space, to flush lavatories, and fill hot water and central heating circuits. Nowadays, the trend is for pressurised heating circuits, filled only by mains pressure and there are no hot water tanks or top up cold water and 'header' tanks in the roof space. Thus, a break in the water supply was usually only a minor inconvenience, unless it happened as you were having a bath and emptied all the tanks (even then you could still find water above the radiator circuit in its header tank.). My own 1960s system was recently 'modernised' at the council's insistence, so now I am completely dependent on the local water company, that they will keep the pumps running at all times! not what I call progress. Reliable systems need redundancy built in for emergencies. (Similar with phone land lines...)

[@Barbara-li5yb]

Public water systems where I live have similar redundancies. Water is pumped into above ground storage tanks that are significantly larger than roof top ones. Same principle though in a larger scale.

[@spamletspamley672]

Hey @Mark How's about teaching us how to make microbe plates from our water bottles at home, and even our own microbe art plates. (Shame we can't share photos on YT)

[@drjayf]

First? Always wanted to say that - keep up the good work. Also if you can find a way for international paypal donations that would be nice. Right now it's limited to the US.