An Interview with OCWD’s Jason Dadakis Imagine waking up one morning, stumbling into the bathroom half asleep, turning on the tap to brush your teeth, and out comes seawater. Proximity to the Pacific is one of the perks of living in Orange County, but barring some bizarre decorating craze of the future, no one wants … More Protecting the Treasure Beneath Our Feet
Hexavalent chromium, better known as chrom-6, became infamous as a cancer-causing chemical in the movie Erin Brokovich. The movie followed the true story of the residents of Hinkley, California, who became ill with many different types of cancers after the town’s water supply became contaminated with chrom-6. The contamination came from a Pacific Gas & … More Base Chrom-6 Limit on the Best Available Science
Recently, some interests have alleged that drinking water in different parts of the country contains unsafe levels of disinfection byproducts. Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are compounds that can result from cleaning tap water and killing the bacteria and viruses that cause illnesses like typhoid and cholera. Disinfecting water is critical to our health – it is … More Disinfection Byproducts in the News
Meet Allison Mackenzie, a woman with thirty years’ experience in water science. She works for Babcock Labs, the laboratory that tests water for Western Municipal Water District (and other clients throughout Southern California). Allison is a graduate of the University of California at Riverside and started with Babcock right out of school as a chemist … More Allison Mackenzie, Water Scientist and Mom
Let’s face it – when kids get thirsty, the first thing they reach for is soda and juice. Unfortunately, those are packed full of sugar, which can cause health problems like obesity and diabetes. California’s “First 5” recommends water and milk as the best choices kids can make. Here are five ways to get them to … More Get your Kids to Drink Healthy
A Sit-Down with Ken Marshall, the Lab Manager for Eastern Municipal Water District Ken Marshall is responsible for monitoring the safety of tap water used by people who live between Box Springs State Park and Temecula. When I first meet him in the lab at Eastern Municipal Water District, it became clear that he is passionate about … More Tour the Lab – EMWD