[Brett Le Blanc / Daily Commercial] @JoeOcalaNews Well water is OK but sometimes doesn’t look that way All may be well with Reddick-Collier Elementary School’s drinking water, but the school district will continue providing bottled water to the campus for the time being just to be safe.
That news led the school district to start supplying the school with bottled water, even though the original water wells have never been contaminated.
Last week, district officials told the School Board it was time to shelve the bottled water plan because it leads students, parents and staff to think that the drinking water is not safe.
“I prefer that we keep the bottled water.” School District spokesman Kevin Christian said the district will continue to supply the school with bottled water.
The problem was that the two 4-inch wells did not supply enough water for the school, especially when dishwashers were added and used constantly.
The district decided to drill two new wells, referred to as No.
When tested, those wells showed surface water contamination.
Those last two wells, No.
10, were tested and believed to be fine.
Through it all, the district’s original wells, drilled in 1993, have never shown any signs of surface water contamination.

CEIBA, Puerto Rico – What could be millions of bottles of water meant for the victims of Hurricane Maria, who were dying for fresh water, never made it to those suffering in the aftermath of the powerful hurricane a year ago, but instead were abandoned on the tarmac at a former U.S. naval base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, according to news reports.
Pallet after pallet of bottled water sat on the hot airstrip and was never delivered to the thousands of people so desperately in need of water that they were drinking from contaminated sites all over the island following the storm, which knocked out power to most of the island.
Ramos said he only found out about the surplus on Tuesday when photos of the thousands of bottles of water went viral.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, confirmed to ABC that the water was part of a surplus of supplies in April and was transferred to the islands’ General Services Administration.
Some of the water was initially delivered, but complaints about the taste and smell caused the government to begin testing.
It’s unclear who is at fault for the wasted water.
“The government of Puerto Rico did not receive the water to distribute during the emergency, it was under FEMA’s custody and it wasn’t until April 2018 that the surplus inventory was available upon request," Puerto Rico’s secretary of public safety, Hector Pesquera, said at a press conference in San Juan on Wednesday, according to ABC.
In the year since Maria pummeled the U.S. territory, the initial death toll of just over 60 people has been revised to almost 3,000.
Many blame the Trump administration and FEMA for what Puerto Ricans have called an inadequate response to the deadly disaster that left the island without power or clean drinking water for months.
© 2018 Cox Media Group.

Thousands of plastic bottles have been fished out of the Thames after the summer heatwave caused huge numbers of single-use water containers to be thrown away.
Volunteers collected nearly 3,300 bottles in just two hours last week from 18 sites along the river, bringing the total recovered this year to more than 36,500 — the highest annual number ever collected from the Thames.
For the first time during these collections, more water bottles were found than fizzy drinks containers, which campaigners said highlighted the need for drinking fountains in the capital.
The Big Bottle Count organised by the charity Thames21 and Zoological Society of London took place from Thamesmead in the east to Kew Bridge in the west.
Although the total number of plastic containers recovered was fewer than the 4,100 at last year’s event, water bottles accounted for half of all this year’s litter.
The most rubbish-strewn spots were Thamesmead, where 1,032 bottles were found, and Queen Caroline Draw Dock in Hammersmith, from where 544 containers were picked up.
Yellow and orange pay-as-you-go smart bikes were also found dumped among the foreshore debris.
Event co-ordinator Alice Hall said: “Londoners’ consumption of bottled water increased during the hot weather, which highlights the need for more fountains so people can get this basic resource for free, especially with more hot summers likely.
We need more refill points and fountains.
“Water bottles are routinely one of the most common plastic types found in the river, but over the summer the proportion of water bottles exceeded fizzy drink bottles for the first time.”

Samples of Grange Park and Mt Kenya bottled water from Buruburu exceeded fluoride levels – over the WHO maximum guidelines of 1.5 ppm for drinking water.
According to Deputy Director, National Quality Control Laboratory Dr Pius Wanjala, excess iron in drinking water (iron overload) can cause damage to body organs like the liver, heart and pancreas.
“Excessive iron in the human body may also cause life-threatening illnesses like liver cirrhosis for those with the genetic disorder – haemachromatosis,” said Dr Shabani.
“Grange Park bottled water and Mt Kenya bottled water sampled from Buruburu had fluoride levels that exceeded the WHO maximum guideline value of 1.5 ppm for drinking water.
Dr Shabani said that bottled water from underground sources, which do not adhere to the right chemical composition increases risk of poor bone health, increased fracture risk and poor teeth.
“Children are more susceptible to fluoride and mild dental fluorosis can occur at drinking-water concentrations of between 0.9 and 1.2 mg/litre.” Besides excess fluoride and iron found in the samples, a sample of Avodale bottled water from Eastleigh was found to be too alkaline, with the pH of the water out of the WHO guideline range of 6.5 to 8.5 for drinking water.
“Avodale bottled water (sampled from Eastleigh) had a pH value out of the WHO guideline of 6.5 to 8.5 for drinking water.
Ms Kimanthi said KEBS tests quality of water against the two standards available on its website stating that WHO standards are “too wide and general”.
In May this year, 158 firms whose water did not comply with the Kenya/EAC standards were found to be operating illegally and suspended by KEBS.
Meanwhile, most Kenyans continue to buy bottled water thinking it is safer than tap water or water they get from water bowsers or boreholes.

Students at Sunset Park High school showed off their brand new reusable water bottles.
“I never really thought about it but when you think about it you’re not gonna be wasting all that plastic,” Daisy Palaguachi said.
The company partnered with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Office of Sustainability for the new “Bring It” campaign.
They’re asking students to ditch the plastic and spread the word to their families and friends.
“To empower them with actual tools that they can bring and take to make better and more informed decisions,” Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, said.
The city says it’s goal in doing this is to try and get rid of 54 million single-use plastic bottles.
Or will it just be another item lost in the sea of supplies in their backpack?
“Some of them are really used to drinking bottled water but I just encourage them and remind them New York City tap water is really quite good,” science teacher and sustainability coordinator Katie McCarthy said.
“Knowing that you’re making a small change can turn into something bigger in the future,” student Alexandra Capistran said.
The bottles donated Monday range in price from $19 to $35, and the campaign is part of the city’s ultimate goal of sending zero waste to landfills by the year 2030.

Drinking water samples have tested positive for E. coli in Rehoboth Bay Community Mobile Home Park, prompting warnings to residents.
Residents were issued a warning Sept. 22 to boil their water before they drink it, or use bottled water.
Jen Brestel, spokeswoman for the Division of Public Health, said water samples collected came back positive for E. coli.
In a notice obtained by the Cape Gazette, residents were told to boil water before drinking it because a recent water sample contained disease-causing organisms.
“These organisms include bacteria, viruses and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches,” the notice read.
People with severely compromised immune systems, infants and some elderly may be at increased risk; general guidelines about drinking water are available at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
The notice stated that management is reviewing the water system and a water treatment system is in place.
“We will continue to test our wells until we have satisfactory results.
We will update you as more information becomes available.
Until you receive a problem corrected notice, please boil your water before using it,” the notice states.

For many students, an unexpected item has landed in their backpacks among the brand new pencils and notebooks: bottled water.
Detroit made headlines in recent weeks as the Detroit Public Schools Community District decided to shut off drinking water at all of its 106 schools due to high levels of lead and copper reported at 16 schools.
Both districts will provide bottled water to students.
As students return to school, many Michigan parents are skeptical about the districts’ abilities to provide enough bottled water for all students—50,000 in Detroit and 4,500 in Flint—and are sending them to school with their own bottled water.
In Flint last year, parents were told to not give their children water bottles because of potential disruption, according to a parent quoted in The Detroit News.
These older drinking fountains contain both lead and copper, which leach into the drinking water.
According to The Detroit News, the Detroit school district released a report in June that identified the need for repairs.
With historic underfunding in the Detroit public school district, it is unclear when any of these repairs or replacements will be made.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the detrimental health effects of lead, which is why the lead in schools epidemic is so troubling.
Directing funding to upgrade the infrastructure and fixtures in these schools should be a top priority to protect the wellbeing of the children who walk the halls every day.

In an effort to try and reduce plastic waste, the Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources and the Environment Agency of Iceland are launching a new project to try and reduce plastic waste in Iceland.
According to an announcement from Icelandic government offices, the project, called “Turn The Tap On”, will educate tourists coming to Iceland that it is unnecessary to buy bottled water in this country.
This fact is something we at Grapevine have also tried to reiterate numerous times.
Iceland actually ranks second in the world in the Environmental Performance Index, receiving a perfect score of 100 in terms of water quality itself.
This is also very much the case in Reykjavík, where the bottled water you buy from stores contains the exact same water that comes from the tap.
Bottled water in Iceland can also be wildly overpriced, at times costing more per litre than even petrol.
A common refrain from tourists when this is pointed out is that they are only buying the water for the bottle itself.
In that case, we would recommend buying a canteen or similar re-usable water bottle from any one of the outdoor goods stores you can find in Reykjavík, such as at Fjallakofinn on Laugavegur or Útilíf at the Kringlan mall.

E. coli bacteria reside in human and animal waste and certain strains can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea and headaches.
The risk of illness is greater for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
Regal Mobile Estates residents who use the water should boil it first before drinking it, preparing meals, washing dishes or brushing their teeth, health officials said.
Regal Community LLC bought the property in December.
That company is owned by Hurst & Son LLC, which manages 18 other similar communities in Washington and Idaho.
The company is providing free cases of bottled water for the residents.
The cases of bottled water are stacked in a shared laundry room, and resident Ron Mosier said he and others have helped distribute it to those with mobility issues.
“It’s a lot to expect senior citizens to carry 40-pound cases of water to their homes,” he said.
Mosier said he and his neighbors are making the best of the situation, but he worries about the strain it is placing on the tight-knit community, especially on those who have trouble getting around or who have memory problems and may forget the water is contaminated and drink it.
“(The owners) have a problem and now they have to proceed with better treatment or a better source,” he said.

HASTINGS, Minn. (WCCO) – The City of Hastings issued a boil advisory Saturday after detecting E. coli bacteria in a section of the public water system.
Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth and food preparation until further notice, the advisory states.
The advisory is for anyone who lives in Hastings city limits and is served by the city water system.
Residents should bring all water to a full boil and let it boil for at least a minute.
The Minnesota Department of Health and the City of Hastings will begin disinfecting the water system with chlorine beginning Saturday and extending through Sunday.
The city anticipates the problem being resolved in 3-5 days.
Residents will be notified when the advisory has been lifted.
E. coli bacteria indicate that water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes.
If symptoms such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea or headaches are experienced or persist, seek medical attention.
For more information on precise areas affected, visit the City of Hastings website.