Q: I have a cistern at my Buffalo Pound Lake, Sask., cottage that I fill with lake water for washing and toilet flushing. When I fill it, I mix in 40 ounces of bleach per 1,000 gallons to help with the odour.
How would I clean this cistern if I wanted to haul in potable water to use for drinking also, instead of having to carry water jugs for drinking?
A: If your cistern is made of concrete this could pose a problem. Bacteria could be living in the pores of the concrete and are difficult to remove. I have suggested to consumers in the past to install a swimming pool liner in the cistern.
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If your cistern is not concrete, you could super chlorinate it with a minimum of 10 parts per million of chlorine for 24 hours. This will eliminate all bacteria.
When you fill the cistern with potable water, make sure that a minimum of one to 1.5 ppm of chlorinate exists at all times. This will make your water safe for human consumption.
If you have a problem drinking chlorinated water, install under the kitchen sink a carbon cartridge filter for consumption only.
Manganese treatment
Q: We have a high content of manganese and iron in our well water. Is there any economical way of treating this?
We have heard of phosphate compounds and oxidizing filters. What are these and will they work?
A: If iron or manganese bacteria are not in your water supply, then a simple air injection or greensand oxidizing filter will work well. If you do have bacteria, these methods may work but only for a short time.
There is a simple test to determine if iron or manganese bacteria are present. Examine the back of your toilet tank. If there is a reddish brown slime, then you may have iron bacteria. If there is a black slime, then manganese bacteria may be present.
If any of these bacteria are present, you will have to install a continuous chlorination system followed by a properly designed multi media filtration system.
Hydrogen sulfide
Q: I wanted to comment on another treatment for hydrogen sulfide that gives water a rotten egg smell. We’ve been using simple aeration in both well casings and in well water storage tanks for years with great success.
The aeration drives the hydrogen sulfide out into the atmosphere via the casing or tank vents. It also drops iron and other metals out of suspension due to oxidation.
In well casings, you must keep the air line outlet above the water pump inlet. If the standing water line in the well is too deep for inexpensive aeration, you can aerate the water in a vented storage tank above ground before it is repressurized for household use. In either case, accumulated metals in the tank or well bottom can be drained off or easily filtered out.
Inexpensive aeration is safe, natural and really cleans the water. The best aeration system we have found is made in Saskatchewan by Koenders. It makes inexpensive aeration windmills and electric aerators for this purpose. A Koenders air system will clean up a 5,000 gallon storage tank of suspended metals and hydrogen sulfide overnight.
A: The only concern that I have is that if bacteria are present in the water supply and air is induced, then bacteria can multiply in great numbers. I recommend the water be disinfected as the first step.
The most common disinfectant for water is chlorine. In some cases I have also recommended chlorine in conjunction with an air injection system for effective control of hydrogen sulfide gas and the oxidation of iron.
If you have a specific water problem and would like advice, write to the Water Clinic, attention Philip Stadnyk, 850-47th St. E. Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 0X4, e-mail philip@thewaterclinic.com or phone 800-664-2561. Stadnyk is president of the Water Clinic and a member of the Canadian Water Quality Association. His views do not necessarily reflect those of The Western Producer.
