This is a call to action for interested minds, both cultured in academia and free thinkers who are well versed in the world of DIY (do-it-yourself), both walks of experience holding bright and innovative personality types.
The Virginia Tech & Virginia State University sponsored Cooperative Extension Household
Water Quality Program tests well water and hosts clinics statewide, collecting over 40,000
samples from participatory citizens’ private wells and springs throughout the Dogwood flower state. This is amazing, and we are so lucky to have trained scientists and advocates offering state-of-the-art testing for all at a range of affordable prices.
Their sample kit is $10 thanks to funding through SERCAP (Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc.) which covers the $55 and $65 costs. All someone has to do is pick up a sample kit, drop off the samples and within 4-5 weeks results will be confidentially mailed or emailed. Samples are analyzed for the following: iron, manganese, nitrate, lead, arsenic, fluoride, sulfate, pH, total dissolved solids, hardness, sodium, copper, total coliform bacteria, and E. Coli bacteria with easy-to-read reports and accompanied by a sheet explaining what the numbers mean, as well as access to experts “on hand” to answer any specific question you may have about your water and water system.
I would humbly appreciate the chance to add some thoughts of my own regarding the topic of water testing, as a regular civilian. There is a need to create a broadly accessible electrical water sensor that tests for chemicals beyond the usual 16 listed above to provide a wider breadth of data to better determine the true state of water quality for households who use both municipal and private sources of well/spring water. Access to affordable toxin-free water is limited in certain areas.
Those who do have access to potable & affordable water may be exposed to forever chemicals and leftover PPCPs (pharmaceuticals and personal care products), Antibiotics (Azithromycin, Sulfmtahaxozole, & Cephalexin, etc.), nitrates, Cyanide, Herbicides (Glyphosate a.k.a. RoundUp), Chromium, DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), Chlorobenzene, Cysts (parasites), legionella (viruses), MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether), Atrazine, Asbestos, Antimony, Acrylamide, Alachlor, Methoxychlor, PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls), Alpha Particles, Radon, Fluoride, Percholate, HAA5 (Haloacetic Acids), Beta Particles and Photon Emitters, Carbon Tetrachloride, Dalapon,
2,4-D, 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), Cadmium, and PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances). This list of chemicals was compiled with the help of JP Verheul of Enthalpy
Analytical Laboratories, an environmental laboratory firm in Richmond, Virginia.
In particular, there was an emphasis on obtaining results for glyphosate due to its prolific presence and use in our daily lives. It is popular amongst individuals and companies alike for its affordability and efficacy, in comparison to alternatives such as Neem Oil or Silver Oxide.
Some of these “forever chemicals” can be removed from drinking water with in-home
treatment technologies such as carbon filtration and reverse osmosis like with the Life Ionizer Next Generation MXL-5 water Ionizer or Kangen Water Filtration System, however, it would be prudent to first create an affordable device that tests for the 50+ chemicals previously listed to justify the expense associated with home filtration systems that start at a minimum range of one thousand dollars. During the pandemic, The H20 Project sought to create a documentary to better understand local & global water access and quality, a lofty goal for someone with little to no experience.
Concerning social issues arose during the filming of this documentary, including interviews
from transient people I met who were currently without their own home & experiencing chronic unsafe living conditions.
A teacher from a local high school reported friends & relatives in his social circle were filling jugs of water at his property due to the fact they were unable to filter their own water or maintain payments for utilities including water, which was a prescient cause for alarm during a global pandemic. Knowledge of this tragic situation fueled a rudderless drive to pursue the project of creating a multi-pronged effort to tackle the pain spots through a documentary promoting awareness and an interactive website that served as an information portal and database. Funding was and still remains a barrier to this day, despite multiple attempts to procure grants, such as the Virginia Humanities Grant which immediately rejected my application due to a lack of script.
Despite these understandable roadblocks, I was privileged to be a volunteer “watchdog” at the Regional Housing Study Management Team Committee, thanks to guidance from Ava-Gabrielle Wise of New Road Community Development Group, the late Dr. Art Carter M.D., Etymologist and Activist, Russ Williams the Director of the A-NDCP (Accomac-Northampton Planning District Commission), and Polly & Gerald Boyd of ESTACI (Eastern Shore Training and Consulting Inc). The intention was to advocate for the addition of a detailed assessment and evaluation of environmental impact and water quality to the matrix of research obtained during a “Windshield Survey” of the $100,000 study selected by the RFP (Request for Proposal) committee. Mullin & Lonergan of Pittsburgh, PA selected by the Regional Housing Study Committee created symposiums hosted for locals to attend and participate to voice their concerns.
Their work provided invaluable insight regarding the housing market in addition to their field studies. I wish it had been feasible and ethical for this particular scope of research to entail observations of the interior states of public and private housing to add a layer of data to aid in the final assessments to better understand the topic of water quality and access for residents.
People inventing inventions
Recently, on behalf of this cause, I spoke with someone named Austin from a prototyping
company in Dallas, Texas who was kind enough to discuss the requirements necessary for a person or company to develop an all-encompassing household electrical water sensor. It
would easily require $12,000 for an initial investigation, and more than $100,000 to develop a competitively priced, accurate, precise, and marketable product that tests beyond the usual 16 chemicals while costing less than $200 so easy your mother or next-door neighbor, as an example, could use with little to no instruction. Civil Engineer Marc Edwards, a vocal activist who challenged the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) during the Flint Water Crisis in Michigan kindly provided time of day to explain in greater depth the extent of his research regarding water quality and access during the pandemic. As you may know, he is an expert who states with clarity and conviction that water quality & access are ongoing issues in many geographic regions throughout the world. Promoting awareness is not a fear-mongering “overkill” attempt to instill paranoia over a segment of research currently studied at a global scale.
The H20 Project is still a work in progress, however, the message is to encourage anyone interested in personal empirical research
resonates with all generations.
Thankfully, we have organizations like the Virginia Cooperative Extension to do the expensive legwork. Speculation leads to connecting dots between correlation and eventual cause, all part of the natural scientific process and method we use every day just to live which can lead to helpful insight regarding diet and health. I truly hope people on the Eastern Shore, as they have for many decades, pay extra attention to this topic- the crux of this letter. If I can do it, anyone can. It takes many people, not just one, to solve problems in an effective & timely manner.
The vision is for Americans and Citizens all over the world to have access to pure water free of harmful toxins.
Sincerely,
The H20 Project
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