Water Quality

2006 Water Quality Report (published in June 2007)

For more information on water quality issues please review our selected articles about hard water and local water issues in our articles of interest page.

Learn about Sodium & Sulfates, the US EPA has informative articles that discusses these non-regulated naturally occurring substances.

Click here for sodium information

Click here for sulfate information

In April 2001, there was an article in the Green Valley News about the local water quality. To read our reply which was subsequently published click here.

Can You Picture Parts Per Million?

Zero Keeps Getting Smaller

Over the past 40 years, scientists have developed the ability to detect smaller and smaller amounts of any substance in our food and water.

In the 1950's, trace amounts of both man-made and natural chemicals could be detected at one part per million, or 1ppm. Any level below that was considered zero.

By 1965, one part per billion, or 1ppb, was detectable. Zero became smaller.

Today, one part per trillion, or 1ppt, has become a reality - and one part per quadrillion isn't far away. All the while, ZERO keeps getting smaller.

These scientific achievements, while commendable, fuel consumer fears of pesticide residues, toxic waste or any number of possible contaminants. It is important we remember that just because a chemical can be detected at a lower level, the level of risk for contamination does not necessarily change.

The ability to detect residues at lower concentrations translates into the ability to research risks and benefits at lower concentrations. Industry is committed to using new technology to continually assess and update risk analyses. With this commitment, safe recommended usage levels can continue to be developed through extensive testing.

When thinking about detectable levels, consider the following as a way to put it all in perspective.

One Part Per Million (1 PPM)
1 inch in 16 miles
1 cent in $10,000
1 minute in 2 years
1 postage stamp on the surface of a baseball diamond

One Part Per Billion (1 PPB)
1 inch in 16,000 miles

1 dimple on 2,600,000 golf balls
1 cent in $10 million
1 minute in 2,000 years

1 heartbeat in 36 years

1 M&M in 1,000 tons of M&Ms

1 thin mint in 25,000,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies

1 sheet in 3,600 miles of toilet paper

1 shot of vermouth in 7,500,000 gallons of gin (very dry martinis)

One Part Per Trillion (1 PPT)
1 inch in 16 million miles (more than 600 times around the earth)
1 second in 320 centuries
1 flea on 360 million elephants