Water, Water, Everywhere

Hauling bulk water isn't for wimps.

A five-gallon jug of water tapped from the Wedge's reverse osmosis (RO) system typically weighs about 50 pounds. So why are shoppers lugging it around, especially if it's so heavy?

A recent poll at the Wedge's bulk water dispenser came up with some helpful answers. One satisfied water purchaser said, "If water is part of the recipe, I use the filtered water. I use it a lot actually."

Another sheepishly admitted, "My girlfriend makes me come and get it." He quickly added, "But it's worth it." Then, "Our water smells like fish."

"I won't drink anything but reverse osmosis," said another, "because I don't trust tap water."

It's that last sentiment that drives many shoppers into the arms of RO water, because even the cleanest public water carries legally allowable chemicals. The EPA estimates that 20 percent of human exposure to lead is attributable to drinking water, and according to the National Academy of Sciences, long-term exposure to low concentrations of arsenic in water can lead to skin, bladder, lung and prostate cancer.

And then there's chlorine, the very disinfectant that's intended to protect public health. Consider:

In 1888, Minnesota alone reported 13,262 deaths traceable to poor water supply and sanitation - mostly typhoid. Then in 1910, Minneapolis began chlorinating and made other improvements so that in 1935, the city had its last large water-related epidemic - just six deaths.

But here's the catch. "Chlorination" actually refers to a package of disinfectants and their byproducts, such as trihalomethanes, that has been known for decades to cause cancer. EPA studies show that reducing the national average level to 80 parts per billion might mean 2,332 fewer cases of bladder cancer per year, down from its estimate of up to 9,300 annual cases.

That's a grim trade-off: The very chemicals that save America from hundreds of thousands of typhoid deaths nationally are administered at levels that might cause 6900 cancer cases per year.

If you're working for the CDC, those might be good numbers. If you're a citizen who doesn't want to be a stat casualty, you're probably wondering what your options are.

Reverse Osmosis

The technology of reverse osmosis water filtration came along in the 1990's, at a moment when Americans were increasingly aware of pollutants in public water. Pesticides (like Atrazine and Simazine), harmful e.coli bacteria, lead, nitrates and nitrites, and arsenic are steadily available from even the cleanest public water.

Reverse osmosis doesn't rely on chemical additives to maintain cleanliness. In fact, reverse osmosis is the same process that the body's cells use to filter out contaminants.

RO filtration utilizes acetate membranes to filter water at the molecular level in order to remove up to 99% of all dissolved minerals. Chemical compounds like pesticides and chlorine, bacteria, arsenic, lead, viruses, and other nasty bits are all left behind as water molecules penetrate and diffuse through the membrane, molecule by molecule.

The system, as mentioned, is only natural. According to David Kaus of DK Industries, who built reverse osmosis system for the Wedge, "RO water reduces the workload on the body's cells. That's part of why clean water is so vital to human health. And there's nothing cleaner than RO."

But the Wedge's system is even cleaner than that. Our bulk water dispenser has two additional "filters" - a twenty-inch absorbent carbon filter and a UV light chamber for killing light sensitive bacteria. Additionally, salt filters remove heavy particles from the water before it reaches the reverse osmosis system, reducing wear and tear on the membranes, which need only be changed once every 4-5 years.

The storewide water filtration system feeds the bulk water dispenser for customer use, of course, but it also feeds the sinks and hoses for the vegetable cases in Produce, the ice machines, and the tank which dispenses filtered water to Deli, Meat, Juice bar and the Kitchen. All the water that flows toward you, the shopper, is exceptionally clean.

While Minneapolis' water treatment plants were voted the number one drinking water in 2000 (National Rural Water Association) that award is given for continued EPA compliance, not purity. No public water facility can make the same boasts of purity that small RO water systems enjoy.

Co-ops and their Water

RO water is just as popular with co-op members in the suburbs as it is for urban shoppers like Wedge members.

"A crazy amount, the water we sell," said an astonished worker at Valley Co-op.

All the area co-ops have RO water systems, even the newest store, Eastside Co-op. Valley Co-op offers the cheapest at $.29 per gallon, and all our co-ops sell hard, polycarbonate jugs too, which prevent chemical-leaching from the plastic into your water.

You can also buy test kits at the Wedge so that you can see for yourself what's coming through your tap.