Just another reason to come visit me in San Francisco :)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/03/11/BAH9VHE23.DTL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 (SF Chronicle)
S.F.'s tap water best in tests, chemists say
Jane Kay, Chronicle Environment Writer
Chemists who tested drinking water from 20 utilities nationwide said they
did not detect any contaminants at all at San Francisco's tap, despite
news reports to the contrary.
"We didn't detect anything whatsoever," said Shane Snyder, research
manager at the Southern Nevada Water Authority who helped coordinate a
study by the research arm of the nation's water utilities.
The American Waterworks Association Research Foundation tested 20 of the
nation's water systems, including San Francisco's for 60 compounds found
in medicines, household cleaners and cosmetics.
"You guys have the best water that we tested. Period," Snyder said of San
Francisco's drinking water. "I don't think we've ever tested drinking
water that didn't have any of our target compounds in it."
In a story about test results of the nation's drinking water quality, the
Associated Press reported Sunday that much of the supply contains traces
of pharmaceuticals, solvents and other contaminants.
Among its findings, the news agency said San Francisco's water contained a
sex hormone. The sex hormone was supposedly estradiol, a hormone found in
vertebrate animals - mammals, reptiles, birds and fish.
In fact, no such compounds turned up in San Francisco's water samples,
Snyder said.
The mistake apparently resulted from confusion over the waterworks
foundation's laboratory test results conveyed by the San Francisco Public
Utilities Commission to the Associated Press. The news service said it was
looking into the matter.
Snyder said the misunderstanding apparently occurred because of the
results of an additional tissue test that showed barely detectable levels
of estrogenicity, or activity by estrogen-like chemicals at parts per
quadrillion, Snyder said. The estrogenicity levels in that test were even
lower than in the highly pristine water being used by the researchers for
quality control, Snyder said.
National reports of San Francisco's sex-hormone water hit the San
Francisco PUC hard.
The city claims bragging rights over pure Hetch Hetchy Reservoir water
surrounded by nearly 500 square miles of Yosemite Valley wilderness.
While other cities in the United States - and around the world - have to
drink treated water sometimes tainted with wastewater, San Francisco, the
East Bay Municipal Utilities District and other big Bay Area water
purveyors generally take their water from streams above effluent
discharges. They protect against animal and human encroachment.
It's unclear whether any other water purveyors in the Bay Area
participated in the waterworks research foundation's testing of surface
and drinking water. The results are kept secret, and only the utilities
can reveal them, as San Francisco has chosen to do. Some utilities sought
the water testing in 2006 to find out if they had these emerging
chemicals.
Tony Winnicker, a spokesman for the San Francisco PUC, said the utilities
need to know which chemicals are going to be a problem.
San Francisco's utility serves 2.4 million customers in the city and in
Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
E-mail Jane Kay at jkay@sfchronicle.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2008 SF Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/03/11/BAH9VHE23.DTL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 (SF Chronicle)
S.F.'s tap water best in tests, chemists say
Jane Kay, Chronicle Environment Writer
Chemists who tested drinking water from 20 utilities nationwide said they
did not detect any contaminants at all at San Francisco's tap, despite
news reports to the contrary.
"We didn't detect anything whatsoever," said Shane Snyder, research
manager at the Southern Nevada Water Authority who helped coordinate a
study by the research arm of the nation's water utilities.
The American Waterworks Association Research Foundation tested 20 of the
nation's water systems, including San Francisco's for 60 compounds found
in medicines, household cleaners and cosmetics.
"You guys have the best water that we tested. Period," Snyder said of San
Francisco's drinking water. "I don't think we've ever tested drinking
water that didn't have any of our target compounds in it."
In a story about test results of the nation's drinking water quality, the
Associated Press reported Sunday that much of the supply contains traces
of pharmaceuticals, solvents and other contaminants.
Among its findings, the news agency said San Francisco's water contained a
sex hormone. The sex hormone was supposedly estradiol, a hormone found in
vertebrate animals - mammals, reptiles, birds and fish.
In fact, no such compounds turned up in San Francisco's water samples,
Snyder said.
The mistake apparently resulted from confusion over the waterworks
foundation's laboratory test results conveyed by the San Francisco Public
Utilities Commission to the Associated Press. The news service said it was
looking into the matter.
Snyder said the misunderstanding apparently occurred because of the
results of an additional tissue test that showed barely detectable levels
of estrogenicity, or activity by estrogen-like chemicals at parts per
quadrillion, Snyder said. The estrogenicity levels in that test were even
lower than in the highly pristine water being used by the researchers for
quality control, Snyder said.
National reports of San Francisco's sex-hormone water hit the San
Francisco PUC hard.
The city claims bragging rights over pure Hetch Hetchy Reservoir water
surrounded by nearly 500 square miles of Yosemite Valley wilderness.
While other cities in the United States - and around the world - have to
drink treated water sometimes tainted with wastewater, San Francisco, the
East Bay Municipal Utilities District and other big Bay Area water
purveyors generally take their water from streams above effluent
discharges. They protect against animal and human encroachment.
It's unclear whether any other water purveyors in the Bay Area
participated in the waterworks research foundation's testing of surface
and drinking water. The results are kept secret, and only the utilities
can reveal them, as San Francisco has chosen to do. Some utilities sought
the water testing in 2006 to find out if they had these emerging
chemicals.
Tony Winnicker, a spokesman for the San Francisco PUC, said the utilities
need to know which chemicals are going to be a problem.
San Francisco's utility serves 2.4 million customers in the city and in
Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
E-mail Jane Kay at jkay@sfchronicle.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2008 SF Chronicle
--
John Hayato Branderhorst
