Water Filters

The Philadelphia Empowerment Zone has pulled off another small-business coup: enticing an Asian-American business that makes water filters to locate in West Philadelphia and eventually hire as many as 100 employees, many of them from the inner city. Global Technology Solutions (GTS,) a company owned by an Indian-American family that operates a factory in Madras, India, will begin manufacturing water filters in the West Philadelphia zone by year's end. The announcement was made yesterday by Vice President Gore during a campaign swing through Philadelphia.

It has been a long time coming - nearly 13 years. In May 1981, Claire and Jim Keane moved into their dream home just north of New Hope, along the Delaware River in Bucks County. They had a toddler and another baby on the way. They turned on the water in their new Solebury Township home, and their dream evaporated into a nightmare. The water stank of petroleum. And the Keanes would soon find out that the stench was also in the private well water of at least five neighbors' wells.

WHILE CAROL Towarnicky (op-ed, Jan. 23) prays for the success of the relief convoy bringing water filters to Gaza residents, perhaps she can also pray for the citizens of S'derot and other Israeli communities who have endured a barrage of over 250 rockets and mortars a month since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2005 - a terrorist onslaught that has murdered and maimed hundreds of Israelis. Without this constant terror emanating from the duly elected government in Gaza, there wouldn't have been a need for the increased border security, and Palestinians would be unburdened by the shortages they're facing.

The leader of Equinox International, a company that federal regulators say is a giant pyramid scam, defended the company's sales practices in a conference call with his sales people on Monday and said that the government's charges were false. Chief executive officer Bill Gouldd said he would fight the charges against Equinox, which was shut down by the government two weeks ago and was accused of bilking people across the country - including many in Philadelphia - out of more than $200 million.

Township officials said last night they would look into the feasibility of extending water lines to Township Line Road, after two residents complained that their wells were contaminated with naphthalene, a petroleum product. The state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating whether several closed gasoline stations in the area are the source of the naphthalene, which was found in the well water of some homes in the 1200 block of Township Line Road. Two wells were found to be tainted and three more showed traces of the chemical.

When Sun Pipe Line Co. was taken to court in 1970 for contaminating a Willistown Township family's water supply, it got off cheap - at least compared with last week's jury award. In 1971, Sun agreed to pay Frances and Alfred Wedd Jr. $5,000 for their water troubles and promised to dig a new well or install a water-filtration system. In the agreement, Sun guaranteed that the house would have a supply of good water for 20 years. The house's well-water supply was contaminated by petroleum leaks from a Sun pipeline.

In an effort to be reimbursed for the cost of cleaning water from contaminated wells, the North Penn Water Authority is pursuing a federal lawsuit that seeks $5 million from suspected polluters, after negotiations toward an out-of-court settlement broke down last week. "We are trying to recover the costs we've expended for the treatment," said Dave Milan, executive manager of the authority. "We want to be compensated. Our customers are paying for stuff that the (suspected polluters)

Atlantic City's finest competed this weekend in West Virginia. Not the police, mind you. But two gallons of tap water. And for the second year, the resort's drinking water came away with top honors at the annual Toast of the Tap water-tasting competition in Berkeley Springs. Is a dynasty brewing here? "We're proud and happy about it," said Mayor James Whelan, when he heard the news yesterday. Alas, the honor is somewhat tainted by the lack of competition. Atlantic City vied for the title against only 15 other municipalities - four from West Virginia.

Contaminated soil from a neighborhood on a hazardous-waste site will likely be excavated next year, and wells in the area will be closed after an investigation by the state Department of Environmental Protection. Reclamation Resources Inc. went out of business in 1981, after the state cited the firm for improperly disposing of hazardous waste on its Lenhart Road property. But spills from chemicals treated on the premises contaminated soil and well water in the area, officials said.

It is disguised as a modern and chic home with the look of an art gallery, exhibiting glass sculptures, paintings, and a canyon for a backdrop. But inside the walls of this stylish Pasadena abode is an eco-friendly structure with all the works. Kristina Urbana Spencer, interior designer and owner of the Pasadena-based Setting the Stage Interior Design, specializes in healthy, environmentally friendly remodeling and design. She used her own small home as an experimental studio.

WHILE CAROL Towarnicky (op-ed, Jan. 23) prays for the success of the relief convoy bringing water filters to Gaza residents, perhaps she can also pray for the citizens of S'derot and other Israeli communities who have endured a barrage of over 250 rockets and mortars a month since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2005 - a terrorist onslaught that has murdered and maimed hundreds of Israelis. Without this constant terror emanating from the duly elected government in Gaza, there wouldn't have been a need for the increased border security, and Palestinians would be unburdened by the shortages they're facing.

A lot happens to water between the municipal reservoir and the glass. Aging pipes under the street and in the house can add impurities that make what comes out of the tap taste or look funny. Which is why many people turn to water-filtering systems that connect right to the faucet. Need to know: Filtration systems come in various sizes and shapes, with different kinds of filters that should be replaced regularly, according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Some filters fit directly onto the end of the faucet.

Q: I have a two-story condo, about 2,000 square feet, that has a 40-gallon water heater. My problem is low water pressure. I have had the city come out and make sure the outside valve is turned on all the way. I have changed the water filters. How can I get more pressure? It is low for both hot and cold water, and in the showers especially. A: If the whole house is affected, it might be a case of too many fixtures and a too-small supply pipe leading from the water meter. You may have to put in a larger one, or look into adding a booster pump.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is exploring ways to provide long-term clean drinking water to a community where several wells have tested positive for contamination. Over the last two years, excessive levels of mercury and industrial additives have been confirmed in seven private wells in the Heritage Hills housing development in the Malaga section of the township. The Gloucester County Health Department first detected the contamination, concentrated in the Nicholas Drive area, during routine testing of a newly drilled well in January 1999, said department director Chad Bruner.

Student researchers at Villanova University spent most of yesterday putting the finishing touches on a small artificial swamp, an unusual environmental experiment they hope to use as a model for land management in the suburbs. Last year, the one-acre plot behind the law school parking lot was a dry, grassy basin that in storms held water long enough to avoid flooding nearby Mill Creek. By building a meandering waterway and planting it with native grasses and shrubs, graduate environmental engineering students hope to demonstrate that newly constructed wetlands can slow storm water, clean up pollutants, and bring back wildlife.

The leader of Equinox International, a company that federal regulators say is a giant pyramid scam, defended the company's sales practices in a conference call with his sales people on Monday and said that the government's charges were false. Chief executive officer Bill Gouldd said he would fight the charges against Equinox, which was shut down by the government two weeks ago and was accused of bilking people across the country - including many in Philadelphia - out of more than $200 million.

Township officials said last night they would look into the feasibility of extending water lines to Township Line Road, after two residents complained that their wells were contaminated with naphthalene, a petroleum product. The state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating whether several closed gasoline stations in the area are the source of the naphthalene, which was found in the well water of some homes in the 1200 block of Township Line Road. Two wells were found to be tainted and three more showed traces of the chemical.

Traces of a chemical many here suspect could be a cause of the elevated levels of cancer among local children have slowly dissipated from a recently contaminated well, health officials said. Over the summer, state scientists say, a plume of contaminated water from the Reich Farm Superfund site unexpectedly spread and seeped into Well 29 in the east end of the Parkway Well Field in this Ocean County community. During a routine sampling of water in late July, scientists discovered about 40 parts per trillion of styrene-acrylonitrile trimer in Well 29, almost two years after discovering it in two other area wells.

Contaminated soil from a neighborhood on a hazardous-waste site will likely be excavated next year, and wells in the area will be closed after an investigation by the state Department of Environmental Protection. Reclamation Resources Inc. went out of business in 1981, after the state cited the firm for improperly disposing of hazardous waste on its Lenhart Road property. But spills from chemicals treated on the premises contaminated soil and well water in the area, officials said.