ECOsmarte blog

hi wendy was wondering if our eco-smarte system would remove the malathion and other pesticide/herbicides in our water?

(as i am sure you know, there is a lot being sprayed in matilija
canyon. dead toads and fishes and other animals higher up the
chain. so dumb!) (i lived through the massive spraying in LA)

p.lyn

Hi P.Lyn,

Malathion is an insecticide, an organophosphate. What they are spraying in Matilija canyon for the arundo eradication is “Rodeo”, also an organophosphate. It is a form of Round-up, which is an herbicide and the active ingredient is Glyphosate. Here is more information about what they are doing.

The removal guidelines for your an ECOsmarte Water Home filtration system.offer the best available removal of both pesticides and herbicides.

Here is the link to the MSDS sheet for Rodeo.
Rest assured - you have the best possible filter to make sure these things do not end up in your drinking water!

Hi, I have a water well and live in the mountains. My water is hard. Do you have a better system than potassium in a water softener system? I also have a pool. I am very chemically sensitive and am now buying bottled water which I know is bad. I bought a filtering system call seagull or something, but can't use it because of the hard water situation..........HELP. gail

Hi Gail,
Thanks for your questions.
Our system is practically tailor-made for your situation. If you know the measurement of hardness of your well water – either in mg/L or in “grains” of hardness, that is the first step. It should be on your well report. ECOsmarte water systems guarantee satisfaction up to 25 grains of hardness, which is 427 mg/L.
Our system is far better than a potassium-based water softener for these reasons:
• ECOsmarte does not put harmful chlorides into the environment.
• We leave the healthy minerals in the water where your body needs them.
• ECOsmarte prevents hard water scaling and gives you maximum effectiveness of detergents and soaps.
• Existing scale in pipes is actually reduced.
• Unlike water softeners, you will have no monthly servicing or endless bills.
• No water waste – softeners typically waste approximately 50 gallons per regeneration – about 100 to 150 gallons per week. Backwash from ECOsmarte filtration tanks can even be safely used for supplemental irrigation.

And that’s just talking about the hard water solution part of the equation.

We excel at well water applications because the copper ions put into the water by our technology give you added protection against bacteria, Giardia, coliforms and Cryptosporidium. Copper is a very effective killing agent, and helps to ensure your water is clean and safe all the way up to your point of use. The oxidation part of our technology handles iron, manganese, and sulfur dioxide as well. Combine that with state-of-the-art components and filtration media – and you have a one-stop solution to water issues.

Part of the well package is an initial 150 point (I think it’s 150 now, used to be 140 but the lab keeps raising it) water test that informs us exactly what you need for your well. The system is custom assembled in our factory and shipped to you – specifically designed for your well. The best part is enjoying clean, pure water from every faucet…knowing you can actually drink the water while you are taking a shower if you want to.

How big is your pool (gallons)? What kind of filtration system do you use right now? Are you using Chlorine at the present? Our system is absolutely perfect for people who are chemically sensitive – there are no chemicals in an ECOsmarte pool!

When I first started with ECOsmarte, I had no idea how "green" they were. In fact when I first started with the company, I was just finding out about the whole house filtration systems - having been caught up with the amazing pool/spa systems at first. Believe me, folks, there is an environmentally friendly solution to clean water in your home.

I am the only "water" person in my Green Building Council of Ventura group, the only one! ECOsmarte is virtually the only water company that replaces your water softener - certainly the only one to do so guaranteeing satisfaction with a water hardness measurement of 25 grains and under. Here is what we do for the environment:
1. No brine discharge from your water softener, which translates into no chlorides going into the environment.
2. No water waste, as in reverse osmosis, where approximately 3 gallons of water is wasted for every gallon produced.
3. No hard water deposits, eliminating the need for the really caustic and toxic chemicals that remove scaling.
4. Maximum effectiveness of soaps and detergents (just like softened water), eliminating the need for excessive use.
5. No landfill waste of mineral sludge, filters or resin exchange pellets - ECOsmarte uses none of those.
6. Non-toxic back wash - even the backwash from an ECOsmarte system is non-toxic and can be used for supplemental irrigation which saves even more water.
7. No monthly servicing, so forget all the gasoline used by the service people and the carbon emissions from those trucks - not a part of the picture with ECOsmarte.

And this is just for the home systems!! Later today I will be sure to provide you with a list for our pool systems as well. And there are some way cool things we do for the planet with our pools. ECOsmarte is proud to do our part for the Planet.

Happy Earth Day everyone!!

I recently had a booth at the Santa Barbara Home and Garden Show. I did my homework before I went and had a sheet that compared ECOsmarte Water to the 4 other water companies that were attending the show. This was a successful technique, as potential customers basically had a cheat sheet of sorts to question the other water companies. ECOsmarte had pretty much no competition in the environmentally friendly category, which is a great thing in this area, as many people are very environmentally conscious. The show was a good one and I did well.

That show was just a month ago, and now we are coming up to Earth Day, which is a very big deal in California, even more so in the areas I concentrate on - Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. I will have a booth at 3 events - Earth Day at Oak Grove School in Ojai, Earth Day event in Ventura and Earth Day in Santa Barbara as well. The coordinator of the Ventura event called me yesterday to confirm he received my registration. He then described to me a phone call he had received that morning.

A man called the coordinator and asked if there were any water companies that were going to have a booth at the event. He was a bit "cagey" when questioned and was not clear whether he was an individual who wanted to attend the event or a vendor wanting a booth. The coordinator said yes, ECOsmarte Water was going to be there, he had just received the registration. The coordinator said that as soon as he mentioned the name of my business, the phone call ended very quickly after that - the caller basically saying okay thanks and bye. The call felt strange and odd to him.

I told the coordinator that I suspected the man who called was from one of the other water companies (likely at the Santa Barbara show) and knew he could not compete with ECOsmarte in the environmental arena, so was checking out the competition before committing to a booth to see if I was going to be there.

I wouldn't miss it for the World.

Found this article posted on Water Tech Online.com:
"Considering potassium chloride for softening" with a subtitle of "Sodium alternative should be promoted to health and environmentally conscious customers."
Well that caught my eye...anywhere they are talking about environmentally conscious and water softeners, I'm interested.
The article mentions the advantages of Potassium Chloride over Sodium Chloride for water softeners, namely less sodium content for sodium restricted diets and increased potassium (healthier). I kept reading, hoping to find a reasonable explanation for the insinuation that Potassium Chloride is more environmentally friendly than Sodium Chloride. After all...Chlorides are Chlorides, folks, and the Chlorides are the biggest part of the environmental problem from water softeners...also know as "brine discharge".
I found this gem of a sentence under the heading "Environmental Impact" (bold and italics are mine):

The use of potassium chloride in water softeners instead of sodium chloride can diminish the perceived environmental impact of brine discharge because potassium chloride is considered a healthy nutrient for both humans and plants.

The article then goes on to compare the use of Potassium Chloride in fertiliers, thereby.....I don't know, making everything grow so it's all good?? Holy twisted logic, Batman. Here's the fertilizer logic in full (still under the heading "Environmental Impact"!):

Putting this into perspective, potassium chloride is the main source of potash fertilizer in the world. Potassium chloride accounts for 94 percent of all forms of potash used domestically as reported by Agriculture Canada for 1995/1996.

The total domestic consumption was 314,000 tons of potassium chloride out of 333,253 total tons of potash, and 4,829,045 tons of all fertilizer. Further, the amount exported was 13,076,0771 tons from a total of 13,082,442 or 99.5 percent.

The total potash consumption worldwide in 1996 was 20,550,000 tons, clearly indicating the environmental advantages to the environment from using potassium chloride as a regenerant.

I don't know what you got out of that, but here's what I read:
1. Potassium Chloride is used as a fertilizer.
2. A lot.
3. Since it is used a lot, it is more environmentally friendly.

What??

I guess what astonishes me is the implication that you can fool people into believing that Potassium Chloride is more environmentally friendly. The PERCEPTION is what's important when you are trying to sell something, right? Never mind the reality. That was my first gut reaction, anyway. So okay, let's check the facts as discoverable on the internet, then...

First, the authors of the article are from a company called the "North American Salt Company". Oh goodness, what a coincidence - they sell Potassium Chloride! At about twice the price of Sodium Chloride, too. They do make this statement on their website:

Better For The Environment!
The key difference, which makes potassium chloride environmentally friendlier than salt, is that potassium itself is primarily a plant nutrient. Additionally, potassium is less damaging to soils and is less mobile than sodium. It also reduces the amount of chlorides discharged to septic or sewage systems by as much as 20%.

Digging a bit deeper, I found that everyone selling Potassium Chloride quotes the same 1966 (!) study that claims up to 20% less Chlorides discharged when using Potassium as compared to Sodium. I also found that every municipality that has trouble with Chlorides says No, using Potassium Chloride does not help. Seems a bit disingenuous to claim Potassium Chloride as "Environmentally Conscious". What it really does is cause slightly less damage (and costs twice as much, don't forget). I guess "less environmentally unfriendly" doesn't sell as well as "more environmentally friendly", right? Is Potassium Chloride technically more environmentally friendly that Sodium Chloride? I admit it, yes. Are both of them harmful enough to the environment to be banned in Municipalities with elevated chloride level issues? Yes.

Here's the pitch...you knew it was coming. Why even mess around with degrees of environmental unfriendliness when you can have the greenest water filtration/conditioning option of all - ECOsmarte. NO chlorides. NO brine discharge. Healthy minerals stay in the water. No hard water scaling. Do the Earth a favor - buy an ECOsmarte water system for your home...just in time for Earth Day!

Oh man, I just found this on the website of a purveyor of salt pool systems:

"What makes the ******* Salt Purification System, by ********, the best choice for your pool? It’s salt…it’s natural… There are no harsh chemicals, nothing damaging to you, your children, or your pool. Salt is also environmentally and ecologically friendly."

How can they actually get away with saying stuff like that?

First of all, salt pools are CHLORINE pools. Nice use of the phrase "purification system", but the reality is that every salt system uses salt to produce CHLORINE. So all you people out there who smugly say - "oh, I have a salt pool", when other pool owners complain about chlorine...hello, you have a chlorine pool, too! Less chlorine, but still chlorine, and the same toxic by-products that come with it. "No harsh chemicals?" What the heck would you call CHLORINE?

Second, for all you people who doubt that salt pool systems damage pools and equipment, I have never found a more thorough investigation into the salt pool issue than this blogger, The Pool Guy. He has pictures and explanations and links and as much information as you care to digest about why and how salt pools harm your pool, your pool equipment and even the waterfalls and expensive decorative stone tile surrounding it.

Last but certainly not least, "Salt is also environmentally and ecologically friendly." What? Since when? Tell that to the folks in Santa Clarita, CA, who can't install new salt-based water softeners because the chloride level in the Santa Clara River is affecting the crops and throwing the local fauna out of balance. Tell that to the folks in Australia who lose more than $130 million of agricultural production annually from salinity. When you have to drain that pool at some point, where is it all going to go? When you backwash the filter, where does the water go? It is illegal in Santa Clarita for new or existing salt pools to be connected to the sewer system. Does anyone out there seriously think they did that just for fun? Apparently the purveyors of the aforementioned salt chlorine generator (I like to call things by their proper name) don't get it. Or maybe they will just say whatever they think will sell you a system. For shame.

The Pool Guy also brought to my attention this article in the Florida Sentinel asserting that salt pools are ecologically friendly pools.... Huh?
Particularly interesting are these two lines, that really truly do come one right after the other:

A salt system converts salt into chlorine, eliminating the need to transport and handle chlorine tablets or liquid. "Chlorine is a toxic chemical," said Tracy DeCarlo, a Florida Green Home certifying agent and a home-design function analyst with Detailed Solutions Inc. "I don't believe we should be drinking it or swimming in it."

The worst thing about this article is that the Florida Green Building Council is stating that a salt system is one of the choices to satisfy the green pool prerequisite to qualify for the "Florida Green Home Standard". Other choices include a competitor of ours that reduces the amount of Chlorine instead of eliminating Chlorine like ECOsmarte Pools will.

So...all you ECOsmarte dealers in Florida are hereby put on notice - straighten those people out down there!

I am a member of the Green Building Council of Ventura County. We just merged with San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties to create the California Central Coast Chapter of the US Green Building Council. We hold no such misconceptions about salt pools here. Probably because I would loudly take issue with any such assertions from a salt chlorine generator rep - I've done the research.

(And I have to admit The Pool Guy made some of my research much easier. Thanks for the links, Pool Guy.)

Pool filtration can be a complicated business. There are cartridge filters, diatomaceous earth filters and sand filters. The most common difference, the one people usually know about is the size of particles they are able to filter out of the water. Sand filters catch particles as small as 25 or 30 microns. Cartridge filters are usually effective down to about 20 - 80 microns. Diatomaceous earth (DE) filters catch the smallest particles, about 3 - 5 microns. The interesting thing here is that under about 35 microns, particles are invisible to the naked eye. In a swimming pool, when there are a lot of smaller particles, although invisible individually, they combine to increase turbidity in the water. Most of the time DE filtered pools will be the ones that will sparkle with clarity, because their filtering ability includes the smallest particles.

So that's the filtration capabilities. How about maintenance? Sand filtration requires backwashing every week or two, uses a lot of water to flush the filter, and the sand needs replacing about once every 3 years. DE filters require backflushing fairly regularly and also removal and cleaning of the filters grids with replacement of the DE about once every 2 months. Cartridge filters tout themselves as being the most carefree, remove the filters and hose them off, replace and you are done. Cartridge filters replacements vary in price, usually the more expensive ones will last longer.

So let's talk about ECOsmarte pools, shall we? First off, cartridge filters are not compatible. This assertion comes straight from corporate and is borne of much experience. Are there any ECOsmarte pools out there that do okay with a cartridge filter? Probably. Are there many, many more that have tried it and found it's a bad combination? Yes. Do we recommend it? NO! Next, DE filters do a pretty good job filtering an ECOsmarte pool but still require a fair amount of maintenance. Okay, let's talk ideal, here. If you are going to purchase or already own an ECOsmarte pool system, the very best choice you can make for filtration is a sand filter with glass media. Whoa there - who said anything about glass? I did, just now, and it's really important. Here's why...

A sand filter with crushed glass media instead of sand media will filter particles out of your pool water down to 2 - 5 microns. The clarity of the water will absolutely astonish you (it did me). And this is the very best choice you can make for any pool, but especially for an ECOsmarte pool. The reason has to do with the oxidation. In a chlorine pool, the oxidation is the chlorine. Chlorine oxidization action literally dissolves organic materials, kind of fries them as I understand it, makes them disappear. ECOsmarte oxidation, created in the chamber, although very effective at purifying the water, does not dissolve particles of organic material. That's the whole point, actually, to not have chlorine frying your skin or hair or eyes - all of which fall in the category of organic material. So excellent filtration becomes a necessary component to the pleasures of a zero-chlorine, zero-salt pool.

Back to the glass. First of all, it is 100% recycled post-consumer waste. Wow, let's bask in the environmental glow of that statement for just a bit. Even better, glass does not require strip mining to produce, like DE and sand, so glass filtration media does no harm to the earth. And now we get to pull out the proverbial steak knives because really, wait, there's more! DE and sand media are Class II carcinogens; breathing masks are recommended when handling both. Glass is safe, not carcinogenic, and will not cut you, either! (And for you unfortunate chlorine or salt pool owners...because of all the ways glass is so much more effective at filtration, you will use far less chlorine and coagulants.)

Last but not least, the smooth surface of the glass particles resists bacteria becoming trapped in cracks, resulting in longer lasting, cleaner, more efficient filtration media. Glass media is less likely to block or channel than sand, and will not support growth of moss or fungus. Because the glass particles are smooth, filters backwash with 25% less water, as well.

So let's review...Here is what Glass Filtration Media will do for you:
1. 100% Recycled, POST-consumer waste
2. No strip mining to produce
3. Completely safe to handle
4. Filtration of smallest particles, including skin cells and blood cells
5. Longest lasting media 7 - 9 years
6. Less water to backwash filter
7. Does not support bacterial growth
8. Reduces chemical use

There is no downside here, folks...
So if your pool filter needs replacing and you are researching the options - don't let your pool guy talk you into a cartridge - even if you don't have an ECOsmarte pool. Spring for a sand filter with glass media, and I promise you, you will be so happy you did. So will the Earth.

What do you do when the seemingly best solution...is toxic?

Arundo is the name of a giant cane-type of plant that has invaded large areas of the Ventura River (California) in the last 10 - 15 years. Arundo is invasive, non-native, and chokes out other native plants, wrecking havoc with the ecosystem. Local plant, animal, bird and insect species are all adversely impacted. Arundo is highly flammable and a huge water user - the plants can grow up to 3 inches per day.

Removal of the arundo is critical to restoring the balance. To accomplish this task, the Ventura County Watershed Protection District is using a version of "Roundup" for use near water called "Rodeo". (Okay, someone has to say it - what's with the cowboy names for pesticides?? Geez.) The long term goals are to save water, reduce flooding and fire hazards, and restore the native habitat of the river.

Herbicides have consequences. The half-life of Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Rodeo, ranges from 35 - 63 days in water. The half-life of Glyphosate in soil ranges from 3 - 249 days, and residues of the chemical have been found in treated areas up to one year later.

The USDA and the forest service information sheet tells us that Glyphosate breaks down from micro-organisms in soil and does not bio-accumulate in fish or release back into water moving through soil very easily. That all sounds good. They tell us that the amounts of the chemical that get into the water would be so small, they wouldn't be a problem. Of course, the date of that paper is 1997. That's a little scary.

Well...the doctor of environmental medicine in town who treats extremely chemically sensitive people, trying to help them stay healthy and lead normal lives, disagrees. So do the chemically sensitive people, some of whom I have talked to. They are up in arms about it.

The restoration of the Ventura River watershed necessarily involves removal of the arundo, and it's a tough call. There have been discussions of different solutions, straight manpower, bringing in goats to graze on the plants, and planned burns, which would all cost more or would take too long (the powers that be concluded). There is a time frame here, because the removal of the silt-filled 59 year old Matilija dam is scheduled to begin in 2009, and the silt needs a clear passage down the riverbed to the ocean. Everything is connected.

Marin County seems to be having a similar issue, I see. I was surprised to find this: "The National Audubon Society, whose mission is 'to conserve and restore natural ecosystems … for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity,' refers to glyphosate as a 'strikingly benign herbicide.'" Sounds like a bit of an oxymoron to me - benign herbicide. Certainly not benign to the plants. But perhaps not nearly as toxic to the environment as many other herbicides.

So the arundo removal continues...poisons are being sprayed on the problem areas. Meanwhile, we have some active environmentalists here who plan on checking the downstream water quality; the "StreamTeam". Let's hope that nasty Glyphosate doesn't get into the drinking water.

One more reason to have a good whole house water filtration system, eh?

Ok, so sue me, I'm in a snit about brine discharge again. I found this article about another town considering a ban on salt water softeners. Dixon, to be specific. I admit I did not know exactly where Dixon is, but was quickly informed by Wikipedia that it is a town in Solano County, 23 miles north of Sacramento, California. Population a mere 16K. Sounds nice.

What is not nice is what's happening with their treated sewer water...

Here's another one of those -"Uh Oh, Hmmm, salt seems to be a problem here.." articles. This one is from Texas, in a paper called the Community Impact Newspaper, which serves 8 communities in the central Texas area, north of Austin.

The article states that the water source changed for many residents and the new source is not as hard. Now residents need to be told to dial down the amount of salt spewed out from their water softeners, because the TDS (total dissolved solids) content of the water released back into the Colorado River is too high. For TDS read sodium, potassium and chloride - all 3 involved in water softening.

With all the information at your fingertips through the internet these days, why would anyone still choose a chlorine pool? I don't get it. Asthma is a very real danger; studies/articles you can read about it here, here, here and here.

So, I've been an ECOsmarte dealer for over a year now. And I've heard all the recommendations about sand filters with glass media. (Yes, I said glass.) To get the best filtration and the least maintenance with an ECOsmarte pool - they (home office) recited the magic formula; a sand filter with glass media.
Well, you know me - I ask a lot of questions...

A warm welcome to all of you who have discovered ECOsmarte's new blog. Why are we here? Because our passion is water. We are here to create a forum to discuss and explore the fascinating world of water, how it affects our health and our planet.