On 2013-12-03 18:26:25 +0000, gtr said:

> Setting taste aside, I don't TRUST the people who operate all that mess
> from cross-state all the way to my tap, it's just a big black box. I
> know I could be a better "consumer" if I read daily reports of their
> quarterly content stats. My problem with the "tap water is safe"
> thinking is that it is always AFTER a contamination that we are
> informed of the problems and/or errors they 1) overlooked, 2) were not
> testing for, 3) could never have imagined, 4) they refuse to
> acknowledge until 20 years in court.
>
> I've been hearing for at least 2-3 years that fracking has the
> potential to pollute the aquifirs from which many municipalities (and
> some bottlers!) draw their drinking water. That too doesn't make me
> very comfortable as fracking enterprise expands.
>
> Those are my concerns.
>
> I just called Sparkletts to find out exactly where the water comes from
> and *how* it is "purified". Giving up on their site, I'm now waiting
> for cserve aid on their 800 line.
>
> More news as it comes in...!

Wow! That was most elusive and difficult to find information! I had
what sounded like an 18 year-old slowly and confusedly try to answer
questions, and eventually was told that my drinking water was coming
from SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA where I presently live!

A municipal water supply? No no no--not a municipal water supply--a
"protected well". "Oh really? Where is it?"
"What--you want the address?"
"What the heck, sure. I'll take the address."

She couldn't manage to find it.

So the EPA controls the cleanliness of my water which comes from a
municipal pumping station about 400 yards from my house--literally,
it's behind the houses across the street at the convergence of the
Santa Ana River, and Santiago Creek (both usually dry).

But the protected well produces a "water product" and as such is
governed by the FDA, not the EPA, and provides about as much oversight
as a substitute teacher with a drinking problem. As Penn and Teller
mentioned, the EPA has 20 inspectors the FDA has "less than one". It
occurs to me that, sans purification, the municipal water supply is *at
least* better monitored for "stuff". Now I'm beginning to wonder what
the hell "purification" really means exactly as a corporate marketing
term, but don't have the patience to ask a community-college drop-out
right now. I'm beginning to wonder if it's spelled slightly different
like "Purafied (tm)".

On the Sparkletts web site there is no "water quality" report
available, nor could my cserve gal find it. So I searched via google:
"water quality" site:sparkletts.com - I came up with a page, so did my
aid. She kept saying it's there but I couldn't find it. No, I
explained, it's NOT THERE, if there is no access to it through the web
page directly. It's what's called a "hidden page".

Anyway, it provides trace mineral content and other such stuff. All
very interesting. I asked my aid; if my water is coming from Santa Ana
and this is the water report, what if I was getting my water in Texas,
would it be shipped from Santa Ana?

"No," I was told, "it would be one of their local 'protected wells' in Texas."
"And what of their report?"
"Oh, they get a different report."
"How could they get a different report if you only have one such
report on this hidden page on your website."
"They get a different web site."
"The Texas website isn't sparkletts.com."
"Sure, but it's different for them."

This loop of nonsense went on for a while and then I thanked her and
assume I'll be shaking down the delivery guy--a very pleasant old
fellow--for more info.

Thanks for the funny video, Dave! Very helpful stuff!