Threat of PFAS Pesticides

Threat of PFAS Pesticides

SpringWell wrote an educational piece connecting agricultural PFAS use to drinking water contamination while promoting their whole-home PFAS filtration system as the solution. Author Tommy Stricklin explains that PFAS "forever chemicals" are increasingly added to pesticides as ingredients to enhance performance, with fluorinated pesticides now applied to staple crops like corn, wheat, kale, spinach, apples, and strawberries. The team emphasizes that these chemicals don't disappear after application but leach into groundwater through irrigation and rainfall or reach surface water through runoff. SpringWell positions their Whole-Home PFAS Water Filter System as reducing harmful PFAS to less than 1 part per trillion (four times lower than EPA requirements) using media with 25 times higher absorption capacity than typical carbon filters.

AquaTru RO Installation

Contractor Brian Freeman from Freeman’s Construction demonstrated how he maximized kitchen storage while installing an AquaTru Under Sink reverse osmosis system in a utility closet rather than under the sink. Freeman explains that typical under-sink RO installations consume tons of storage space once you factor in the 3-gallon tank, filtration unit, existing plumbing, and garbage disposal. The contractor highlights AquaTru's user-friendly design with color-coded filters (yellow pre-carbon, blue RO membrane, green VOC carbon with pH boost) that don't require tools for maintenance, compared to complicated systems that discourage proper filter changes. What's cool is Freeman's approach of running filtered water lines to both the kitchen faucet and refrigerator using PEX-A and Legend PERT pipe, ensuring all drinking water and ice production uses filtered water rather than limiting RO benefits to just one kitchen tap.

“I’m WQA Certified” – Choosing a Water Filter

Water Filter Guru Brian Campbell recently published his all-in-one guide on choosing water filters. Campbell, who is WQA Certified, emphasizes that the biggest mistake consumers make is buying filters without knowing what's actually in their water, advocating for professional lab testing through services like SimpleLab's Tap Score rather than relying on basic test strips or assumptions. The guide systematically walks through identifying water sources (city vs. well), determining treatment goals ("why" you want filtration), and matching specific contaminants to appropriate technologies like reverse osmosis, carbon filtration, or ion exchange systems.

Campbell focuses on total cost of ownership rather than just upfront prices, showing how a $50 ZeroWater pitcher can cost 90 cents per gallon to maintain while a $750 reverse osmosis system costs less than 10 cents per gallon long-term. The article covers practical considerations including certifications (NSF/ANSI standards), flow rates, installation requirements, and smart features while positioning point-of-use systems as more renter-friendly than whole-house installations.

Total Coliform (TC) Testing

Direolf Plumbing is positioning Total Coliform (TC) testing as essential for well water safety while establishing themselves as the local expert for bacterial contamination solutions. The Pennsylvania company explains that TC bacteria serve as a "check engine light" for wells: while most coliform bacteria aren't harmful themselves, their presence suggest pathways are in place for dangerous pathogens like E. coli, viruses, and parasites to enter the water system. The team says that water can appear crystal clear and taste normal while harboring invisible biological contaminants, making professional testing the only reliable way to confirm safety. Direolf positions three treatment solutions: well remediation for physical defects, UV disinfection as the "gold standard" chemical-free option, and chlorination systems similar to municipal treatment methods.

What else is happening:

• Public Works in Rothschild, WI says their new system utilizes a granular activated carbon filtration system to remove PFAS

• VVater has been awarded a 10-year, multimillion-dollar contract to provide on-site water treatment for a leading food and bev company in Texas

• WQA Podcast drops a new episode with WQA’s Strategic Affairs Officer

• Cascadian Water of Snohomish, WA explains how water softening works and the salt-free alternatives

• Tri-County Pumps ranks water softener salt types