Comments on: Bushwick Water ‘Dangerously Acidic’

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:01:53 +0000

One test with one set of cheap test strips isn’t all that damning. I’d get the water professionally retested before I started worrying about it.

By: Mjay

Mjay — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:47:16 +0000

So Matt, what kind of filter would you recommend?

By: matt

matt — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:07:31 +0000

No wonder the water is so acidic, people are flushing their f*in cat litter down the toilet!

Brita is a joke, invest in a real filter. Water is life. To put it in more tangible terms for the audience…Brita is to water filters what Folger’s is to coffee.

By: Halden

Halden — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:01:51 +0000

Brooklyn changed its water supply when it became part of NYC (in 1898). In the 1800s, Brooklyn got its water from wells and ponds out on Long Island. After consolidation, Brooklyn joined the Croton system, which, as chillin’ says, is fed by lakes and reservoirs in upstate NY. So unless you go to LI, you can’t make beer like they used to.

As far as I know, the level of chlorine and the like is controlled much further upstream, so if Bushwick water is over chlorinated, all NYC should be (and they do vary the levels depending on levels of contaminants at the source (as ricmac says). Local conditions (pipes in the street but mainly pipes in your building) are the source for many metal contaminants (lead, copper, iron).

(The right of ways that carried Brooklyn’s water from Long Island and Queens became the basis for the Island’s parkway system – the Northern State, Southern State and Sunrise Highway (and I think the LIE) all run in part on former right of ways.)

By: ricmac01

ricmac01 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:21:47 +0000

Lead in drinking water is caused by corrosion in water distribution systems and, more commonly, an individual’s household plumbing, including lead-based solder that was used (years ago) to join copper pipes. Most drinking water filtration systems generally concern themselves with things we can see/smell/taste and therefore provide no assurance that our water is lead-free.

I believe NYC still provides free lead testing of your household water by request- dial 311. Especially important for families with small children (or those planning to have kids).

By: chillinoncentral

chillinoncentral — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:15:03 +0000

Good question, Jimmy.. I believe that there are about 20 reservoirs of lakes and streams in upstate NY that supply NYC water, but from there, the water travels to thousands of NYC water mains through tunnels underground that were built many years ago… and the flowing water can be affected by landfills, leakages and other causes of contaminants that result in differences in the water in different areas of the city.

By: alicia

alicia — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:55:27 +0000

This is really odd because I live in Bushwick also (I shop at the same Home Depot), but I have hard water. I found out because I use a special cat litter that turns red if your cat’s ph gets too high, which is an indicator of sickness. So far so good on the cat turning it red, but when I put it in the toilet to flush it away it turns bright red (the danger color). I called my vet just to make sure it wasn’t some bizarre delayed reaction, and he said plenty of people in Brooklyn have the problem because the water is so hard. Some fine print on the bag confirmed this.

By: Jimmy Legs

Jimmy Legs — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:32:58 +0000

how can the water in one part of town be that varied from another’s? don’t we all get water from the reservoirs upstate? maybe all of bushwick’s piping systems were put in by the same company?

By: Diego

Diego — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:22:07 +0000

Damn, my cover’s been blown and the educated consumer wins again! Good thing you’re only a fraction of the population and I can keep repeating my propaganda until people accept it as fact.

Jokes aside – I forgot to mention that there is conflicting research on whether or not Brita filters reduce lead content in tap water – funny how the most important questions are left unanswered when profitability is at stake …

By: chillinoncentral

chillinoncentral — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:41:56 +0000

Way to go, Diego! Once again, you’ve ventured into an intriguing subject of significance to an entire community and summarized your findings in a most worthwhile article… and, your addendum on local breweries is especially impressive. Personally, as a fellow Brita loyalist, I appreciate your findings.