Over the past several weeks I have been doing a great deal of research on Y2K. Of course, the more I read, the more concerned I become. My husband and I have made a great deal of progress in making preparations and today I decided to call the town's water treatment plant to see what, if anything, they were doing to address the issue. We are completely reliant on town water so this is a major concern to me! The man I spoke to mentioned a lot of technical details that went over my head, but basically told me that I shouldn't worry about it! From what he explained, he said that most of the plant is operated manually. There are embedded chips that control some functions, but these are not date sensitive. In other words, he explained, the town's treatment plant does not have a Y2K problem.

Can someone please help me here. Is what he said correct? Maybe I just didn't ask the right questions. Could anyone give me some specifics that I should be asking. Also, what other city departments should I call, and what questions should I ask?

Michelle

-- Michelle Dumas (mdumas@cybertours.com), July 14, 1998

Answers

I would be more concerned about electricity. If the power goes out, water (& sewage) go on backup-generators. Without electricity, there is a finite amount of time before the diesel fuel runs out, and supply-problems begin. Probably the embeded controller problem would not be too bad for water.

Personally, I think the (US) Government is going to declare an emergency and keep things going. I'm unclear as to which scenario is worse (King Bill, or panic).

-- Anonymous (not-so@anonymous.com), July 14, 1998.

Michelle: It is very likely that the information you were given is correct. Many water systems have little or no automation. The large systems are the ones most likely to have had the funds to invest in automated control. Electricity is indeed the issue with regard to keeping the water flowing in most communities. You should see if the water district has generator backup, how many days of fuel do they store and are they working within the local emergency management infrastructure to assure that there are plans for diesel suppliers to keep the water district's tanks full during any possible prolonged outages? Also, don't discount the importance of the data processing systems that must be repaired. In order to fund continued operation the water district must be able to continue the mundane tasks of keeping inventory, paying bills, paying employees, etc.

-- Don Harlow (dharlow902@aol.com), July 14, 1998.

Michelle,

No one knows precisely what is going to happen, so prepare for the possibility of no water, no food, no electricity, etc. This is the smartest thing you can do in the face of it. Whatever you do, don't listen to the imbeciles that tell you we don't know for sure and everything is probably going to be ok. It is not and the responsibility for the safety of your family is yours. These pontificating fools won't be there to feed you, their advice is deadly.

Good luck,

Will

-- Will Huett (willhuett@usa.net), July 14, 1998.

Michelle, If you are new to this forum you will soon discover that Will Huet has assigned himself the role of trying to disrupt any intelligent discussions of issues. If you have read one of Will's posts you have read them all and you know who the pontificating fool is. Some people are so caught up in the worst case scenario that they wish for it, and they hate (yes hate) anyone daring to search for solutions. Personal preparedness is definitely a must but continue to love your neighbors and work on community preparedness as well.

-- Bubba (dirbub@usa.net), July 14, 1998.

I live near a huge dam, and a reservoir, and I am on city water. But, we are dependent on the resevoir to pump the water to our residence. No electricity, no water. Once the storage tanks are depleted, that's it, and we will have to go to the lake and get our own. I have purchased 50 gallon plastic containers from the Pepsi bottling company for $10.00 each. There's nothing wrong with being prepared for any disaster. It doesn't even have to be Y2K. I just heard on the news that they had flash floods in Tennesse which wiped out their water treatment and sewage plant! Water all around them, but none coming out of the pipes! Water, if properly treated and stored can be kept for a very long time. If nothing happens, or you want to refill with fresh water, just water your garden with it! Being prepared for any emergency to me is something that I don't want to have to worry about when the time comes. P.S. My next purchase is a pump to take to the lake to pump water into my containers! Just in case.....

-- Barb-Douglas (bardou@yahoo.com), July 14, 1998.

Thanks to all who have responded. I will be calling them again tomorrow to ask some additional questions.

In any case, we are preparing for the worst but definitely hoping for the best. While we are making plans for water storage, I can just imagine my anxiety as I watched this supply get smaller and smaller if a crisis dragged on. If it ran out, the closest source of water (that I know of right now) is a pond about 2 miles away. People don't even swim in it, so I can't imagine it would be safe for drinking! The only solution that makes sense to me is a permanent solution. Ideas that have crossed my mind are rainwater harvesting or a well that we could access using a hand pump. If my husband is right, our water table is less than 20 feet, so I can't imagine that it would be too difficult to pump the water. I really like the idea of the well because it would also mean that we could help out our neighbors who had not planned ahead. Does anyone have any thoughts on these ideas? Assuming that the only thing we would use the well for during "good times" would be watering the garden and things, would we really have to spend a ton of money to have someone drill it for us? Or is there some economical way to do it ourselves? Thanks!

Michelle

-- Michelle (mdumas@cybertours.com), July 14, 1998.

Wells dug in our area are expensive, and the health department gets involved too. You will also have to have a hand pump installed so you can pump it when there's no electricity. You may want to get a storage tank attached to the well and pump water into the storage tank. In addition to my 50 gallon Pepsi containers, I'm going to purchase a child's swimming pool and catch rainwater in that. Good Luck.

-- Barb-Douglas (bardou@yahoo.com), July 14, 1998.

For the new folks who may not have heard previous discussions, there are many ways to sanitize water, but the important thing is to know what you're adding to your already questionable water, and know what it's going to do. The safest solution (not the cheapest) is Aerobic '07' non-toxic stabilized oxygen. Six drops will purify a gallon, and one ounce will purify a 55 gallon drum, and keep it safe for 5 years.

The best part of all is that Aerobic '07' has an unlimited shelf life, so no need to worry about it losing its effectiveness or becoming toxic. Contact Vitalogic Research for detailed info by e-mail.

-- Arcy (arcy.w@usa.net), July 14, 1998.

Just had arcy's post come in, and thot to add a note. You can purify water using Aerobic '07' for as low as 6 cents per gallon, so let me know if you want information and prices.

Roy

-- Roy Cave (roy@techcomm.net), July 14, 1998.

I could not find the url for Vitalogic Research. Would someone please post it.

thx,

j

-- j (yada@yada.com), July 15, 1998.

Aerobic 07

What is it? How does it purify? Is it better'n Clorox? Does is kill bacteria? How does it taste?

Our local leaders are confident there will be no problems, but I think they don't get it. I'm getting very stressed out over this.

Barb-Doug, how did you happen across Pepsi as a source for containers? Just curious. We've been searching various sites for containers (water & dry) as well as other equipment. Prices are not bad, but the costs are piling up!

Thanks!!

-- Debbie & Richard (lavoierd@gisco.net), July 15, 1998.

When you sit down to stock your emergency shelter, along with the batteries and candles, it might very well save your life and the life of your children (and neighbours?). What is it? A colloidal silver maker. Portable, battery powdered. The scientific research on this is INCREDIBLE!! (Code name was Movidyn (see Mark Aarons book The Secret War Against the Jews). So powerful, it rendered all chemical and biological weapons...useless. Kills ALL viruses, bacteria, fungi, even promotes rapid tissue regeneration (see Dr. R. beck; Bjorn Nordenstrom). Medicare-in-a-box. Cost to disinfect your water supply after "01/01/00" ...1/10th cent per gallon. Forget the bottled crap (dyes, stabilizers, etc.) Make your own. You will become known as the village doctor of your neighbourhood.

-- L. Christopher (peekpub@aol.com), July 21, 1998.

Quote from Quackwatch, not sure whether you're advocating taking internally.

Colloidal Silver: Risk Without Benefit

Stephen Barrett, M.D.

Colloidal silver is a suspension of submicroscopic metallic silver particles in a colloidal base. Long-term use of silver preparations can lead to argyria, a condition in which silver salts deposit in the skin, eyes, and internal organs, and the skin turns ashen-gray. Many cases of argyria occurred during the pre-antibiotic era when silver was a common ingredient in nosedrops. When the cause became apparent, doctors stopped recommending their use, and reputable manufacturers stopped producing them. The official drug guidebooks (United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary) have not listed colloidal silver products since 1975.

In recent years, silver-containing products have been marketed with unsubstantiated claims that they are effective against AIDS, cancer, infectious diseases, parasites, chronic fatigue, acne, warts, hemorrhoids, enlarged prostate, and many other diseases and conditions. Some marketers claim that colloidal silver is effective against 650 diseases.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), July 21, 1998.

Richard Dale, will you please tell us the source of your posted information on colloidal silver? Are you a physician, scientist, or researcher?

Granted there is a great deal of hyperbole surrounding any product one might have an interest in, including colloidal silver. Unscrupulous marketers will say anything if they can get by with it. However, to knock a valuable product by publishing anecdotal heresay is a great disservice to people who may indeed be helped by that product.

The pharmaceutical industry cannot patent colloidal silver, therefore, if would be foolhearty to invest millions of dollars on controlled studies and FDA testing on a generic product with no hope of receiving a return on your investment.

There were indeed documented cases of argyria when silver was uses in forms other than the colloidal form, but to my knowledge, there have been no documented cases of this condition which have been attributed to the use of a colloidal silver solution.

Bill Schenker, M.D. has done extensive research on colloidal silver, and has redesigned the c.s. generator originally developed by Bob Beck and now being marketed by Vitalogic Research. Bill approaches the subject of argyria with cautious optimism, and never says that colloidal silver is dangerous. He advises folks to use c.s. only when needed and not as a prophylactic for life.

I don't know what you read that said c.s. is effective against 650 'diseases', but I will say that most material published on c.s. state that historically c.s. has been known to be effective against over 650 different pathogens, which can't be said for any other antibiotic!

You must remember that this forum is preparatory to disaster, and not a medical forum. Most anti-biotics are already ineffective against many pathogens, and it won't be long before 'super-bugs' have mutated into forms which are totally immune to present antibiotics. That, coupled with the possibility that medications may not be available post y2k, the better part of wisdom would be to buy a c.s. genny, make your own c.s., study the testimonies of the many who have successfully used c.s., and then use it judiciously.

-- Arcy (arcy.w@usa.com), July 21, 1998.