Page 3 of 9

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:52 pm
by Don
Don Armstrong wrote:
A lot of my beers I use local waters and just add 1/2 RO water or spring water to the mash.
+1

I heard this at an OVHA meeting a long time ago and it has worked out pretty well for me.
I think I said this a long time ago (and many time since).... Works good for most if not all beers.

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:59 am
by Michael Erwin
Evansville Water and Sewer Utility to Temporarily Change Disinfectants
Posted Date: 8/2/2011

(EVANSVILLE, IN) – August 02, 2011 – Beginning August 15 and continuing until September 12, 2011, the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility (EWSU) will temporarily change the disinfectant used in the water treatment process from chloramines to free chlorine.

What is Chloramine?
Chloramine is a disinfectant used in drinking water to remove bacteria and viruses that can make you sick. It is made up of chlorine and ammonia. EWSU has used chloramines as the disinfectant in its water treatment process since 1999.

What is Free Chlorine?
Free chlorine is a slightly stronger disinfectant than chloramines, and may be used to remove more resistant bacteria and viruses that may be found in the water distribution system.

Why will EWSU Convert from Chloramines to Free Chlorine?
This brief, scheduled change in disinfectant is a standard water treatment practice to keep water mains clean and free of potentially harmful bacteria throughout the year. State drinking water guidelines recommend that utilities using chloramines periodically switch to free chlorine for a period of time. The temporary use of chlorine will ensure that a high level of disinfection is maintained throughout the network of water mains and pipes that deliver your drinking water.

Free chlorine is a more aggressive disinfectant than chloramines, and this temporary change in the water treatment process denies bacteria the ability to form resistance to the usual disinfection treatment process. Switching to free chlorine is a proactive step to ensure that we maintain optimal levels of disinfection in the water distribution system.

As always, the drinking water will be regularly monitored to ensure that the water delivered meets, or is better than, federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards.

Why Does EWSU Use Chloramines Most of the Year?
While chlorine is an effective disinfectant, using chlorine alone creates byproducts, which are regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency. We can drastically and cost-effectively reduce byproduct levels through the use of chloramines.

Chloramine is a better long-term choice because it produces lower levels of disinfectant by-products like trihalomethanes, improves the smell and odor of water (compared to chlorine), and lasts longer in the distribution system to prevent bacterial growth.

Will I Notice a Difference in My Water?
Some customers may notice a slight change in the taste or smell of their tap water. Free chlorine may have a bit of a chemical odor or smell slightly like water in a swimming pool. Each individual customer has his or her own sensitivity level to the taste and/or odor of free chlorine. Many detect no change at all. The mild chlorine taste and smell is normal and poses no health risk.

Are Free Chlorine and Chloraminated Water Safe?
Yes, both forms of chlorine are effective and safe for people and animals to drink, for cooking and bathing, watering the garden, and for all other common uses. Most customers will not need to take any precautions as the water remains safe to drink and is treated according to both state and federal standards.

However, precautions must be taken to remove or neutralize chloramines and free chlorine during the kidney dialysis process, in the preparation of water for fish tanks and ponds, and for businesses requiring highly-processed water. People and businesses that normally take special precautions to remove chloramines from tap water, such as dialysis centers, medical facilities and aquatic pet owners, should continue to take the same precautions during the temporary switch from chloramines to free chlorine. A de-chlorination procedure optimized for chloramine removal will work equally well with free chlorine.

Kidney Dialysis: Just like chloramines, free chlorine must be removed from water used in kidney dialysis machines. EWSU has contacted representatives from the medical community to inform them of this temporary conversion. We advise customers who are dialysis patients to call their physicians or dialysis centers if there are any questions.

Fish Owners: Like chloramines, free chlorine is toxic to fish. Fish owners need to remove chlorine, ammonia and chloramines from the water before use with tropical fish. Local pet stores carry water conditioners that remove chloramines and free chlorine. If customers have questions, we recommend contacting their pet store for information and detailed instructions.

EWSU is committed to providing high quality water and related services that meet all regulatory drinking water standards in a manner that prevents pollution, enhances the environment, and promotes sustainability. If you need further information regarding this change, please contact the Utility at (812) 428-0568.

– 30 –

CONTACT:
Jim Garrard
Evansville Water & Sewer Utility
(812) 436-4560
JGarrard@ewsu.com

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 11:40 am
by BREWsmith
The stronger chlorine smell was noticeable very soon after the change. Is a carbon filter effective for both chloromines and free chlorine?

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:02 pm
by john mills
BREWsmith wrote:The stronger chlorine smell was noticeable very soon after the change. Is a carbon filter effective for both chloromines and free chlorine?
Charcoal filters work to remove chlorine too. I believe they work better on chlorine than chloramine.

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 8:11 am
by Chris Norrick
Latest daily report (from 1/1/2012 – 5/31/2012) spreadsheet with averages:

http://www.ovha.net/images/Evansville_Water_2012.xlsx

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:11 pm
by Michael Erwin
Chris, that's great!

It reminds me, we're coming to that time of year where they switch to chlorine for a few weeks to clean out the lines. Usually, they put that in the newspaper.

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 1:28 pm
by Chris Norrick
That report does not list Na or Mg for some reason. They've said before that they don't test for Sodium but I've emailed back to see if I can at least get Magnesium.... Just got emailed back "I don’t have sodium results but the hardness is measured as CaCO3 and the Mg should be the total hardness minus the Ca Hardness." There you go.

At the bottom of this page [ http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15-3.html ] is a link to Palmers' "Residual Alkalinity Calculator" which is mentioned in the video he just did that Art posted. That video is really good stuff if you are struggling with water chemistry like I am so I linked it too. RA and the Sulfate to Chloride Ratio seem to be the key things to pay attention to. Just watch the video, he explains it all. Mostly.





Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:34 am
by Chris Norrick
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewin ... er-198460/

A whole thread that repudiates the Palmer method of tying SRM to Residual Alkalinity. I does lay out a simple method in the primer of using mostly RO water and/or calcium chloride and/or gypsum with some sauermalz (acid malt) depending on the style.

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:05 am
by Chris Norrick
http://www.ezwatercalculator.com/

Another spreadsheet tool for messing with water chemistry. Shows the effects of adding acid malt to your malt bill (plus a whole lot more).

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 12:02 pm
by Chris Norrick
https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/

If you want to REALLY GEEK OUT on brewing water chemistry. Bru'n Water is made by Martin Brungard. He was on the brewing water panel at the 2012 National Homebrewer's Conference along with AJ DeLange and John Palmer. Fun note: He's one of those FBI guys from up in Indy!

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:18 am
by Chris Norrick
Latest Evansville water report with Average, Max, and current report from July 31, 2012.
Screen shot 2012-08-08 at 8.16.18 AM.png

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:50 pm
by Michael Erwin
Chris Norrick wrote:Latest Evansville water report with Average, Max, and current report from July 31, 2012.
Screen shot 2012-08-08 at 8.16.18 AM.png
That's great!

I notice they didn't measure SMELL!

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 8:19 am
by Chris Norrick
Our yearly switch to Free Chlorine from Chloramine as a disinfectant is taking effect Aug 15, 2012 (Wed.) and will last to Sept 12. Free Chlorine is easier to remove from the water by carbon filtration or just letting it sit overnight. Untreated water will have a much stronger chlorine smell than usual.

Press Release:
http://www.evansvillegov.org/index.aspx ... 351&page=9

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 8:26 am
by Chris Norrick
Latest Evansville water report with Average, Max, and current report from Aug 31, 2012.

NOTE: We are switching back to Chloramines starting Sept 12.
Screen shot 2012-09-10 at 8.22.30 AM.png

Re: Evansville Water

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 9:31 pm
by msjulian
Got to thinking as I was filling my 5 gal water jug at Wal-Mart. Is this stuff really soft water? How does it compare to my standard Newburgh water? Then I got to thinking... hell I own a pool and have the equipment to check alkalinity, hardness and chloride. I don't know why I had never thought of it before. So here is what I came up with.

Newburgh
Total Alkalinity CaCO3 - 110 (which is about the running norm)
Hardness - 280 (again, about the year round norm)
Chloride - 30 (this is not a totally accurate test but a good comparison)

Wal-Mart RO
Total Alkalinity CaCO3 - <10
Hardness - <10
Chloride - <10

All the tests came out to less then 10 (10 ppm is the smallest amount my reagents will read) . I don't think this is too much of a surprise to anyone using the Wal-Mart RO as it does lower PH values in lighter SRM beers when you do a mix with tap water. I just was a little curious (and a little bored) this evening.