Water is a resource which we tend to take for granted like the air we breathe and the soil which supports us. However, we are living in an ever increasingly polluted environment. If you assume that only the third world has major issues with its water supply, you would be incorrect.

Here in the nation’s capital, Washington, DC, our drinking water comes from a treatment plant fed by the Potomac River. Some of the things other than H20 which you might find from an analysis of your drinking water may include:

- Varying levels of Lead and Copper
- Chlorine (higher when WASA completes a chlorine flush of the system in the spring.)
- Disinfectant byproducts (caused by chlorine reacting with organic materials)
- Low levels of Coliform (bacteria)
- Low levels of Perchlorate (toxic chemical found in weapons and explosives)
- Certain pharmaceuticals

Like many older cities, D.C. does not have a separate storm sewer and sewage system. As such, the sewer system can easily be overwhelmed during torrential or prolonged weather events. When the sewer system becomes overwhelmed waste water backs up into the Potomac. The Potomac and the Anacostia (the other local river) also receive polluted runoff from streets and other impervious areas.

D.C. still has an ongoing issue of lead in the water caused primarily from the old lead water piping which were common until the 1970’s. Lead was also used to solder copper water pipes together. A recent (May 20, 2010) article in the Washington Post reports that the CDC, “Knowingly used flawed data to claim that high lead levels in the District’s drinking water did not pose a health risk to the public, a congressional investigation has found.”

We recommend that homeowners have their water tested and install the appropriate water filter for their situation. Note that water conditions change, so what’s in your water one week may not be true the next week or month.

The five broad groups of contaminates which need to be considered when installing any sort of water filtration system are (in no particular order): (1) chlorine and its byproducts, (2) heavy metals, (3) organic chemicals including pesticides and herbicides, (4) bacteria; and (5) cysts.

There are a number of water filtration systems and within each category there are generally a plethora of products on the market to choose some. Here’s a brief description of the water filtration systems on the market:

Carbon Filtration:
The most commonly used filtration system, but also paired with systems below as either a pre or post filter. They’re designed to eliminate foul tastes and odors, chlorine and chlorine byproducts and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). Carbon acts a magnet for molecules of unwanted chemicals.
► Cost – Carbon filters, as a stand alone product, are the most inexpensive filter and are available in under sink, in sink and pitcher models (such as Brita). Under $100 for most units.
► Efficiency – Very energy and water efficient, but stand along carbon filters do not typically filter the water as well as the other methods below which incorporate Carbon filters as a pre and/or post filter. Efficacy depends upon the model and composition of the filter.
► Maintenance – Depends upon the model

Reverse Osmosis:
Reverse osmosis forces water through a semi-permeable membrane. Often, one or two post filters are used to further remove pollutants.
► Cost – Starting at $150 for countertop units and upwards of $500 for under sink units + installation.
► Efficiency – Produces between 2-15 gallons of drinking water. Up to 4 gallons of water are “wasted” per day flushing the membrane, but it requires no electricity.
► Maintenance – Replace pre/post filters and reverse osmosis filter every 6 months – 2 years depending upon model.
► Downside – Reverse osmosis takes almost everything out of the water, including minerals.

Distillation
Home units have two chambers; the first chamber boils the water leaving behind most of the contaminates and minerals. The steam condenses as clean water in the second chamber. Distillation removes 99.5 percent of the source water impurities, according to Water Tech Online, including nitrates, bacteria and heavy metals. A carbon post filter is often added for removing organic compounds.
► Cost – Countertop distillers start at $350 + installation; Automatic units start at $1500 + installation
► Efficiency – Little water is wasted, however it requires electricity. Produced anywhere from 3 to 11 gallons per day.
► Maintenance – Un-evaporated pollutants remaining in the boiling chamber need to be regularly flushed to the septic or sewage system. Calcium and magnesium scale collecting at the bottom of the boiling chamber needs to be removed by hand scrubbing or acid. [By the way, the same is true of your water heater. Your water heater should be flushed periodically year because scale builds up and reduces the effective size of the tank.]

Hollow Form Multibore Technology
A new technology from Aquacore, it removes particles as small as .02 microns using synthetic fibers that form a membrane. Like reverse osmosis, the membrane gets flushed clean periodically based upon settings on its “smart meter” Ultra filtration ensures water safety at point of entry into the home by removing cysts, protozoa, turbidity and algae.
► Cost – Pricy. Aquacore’s AC 10, whole home ultra filtration system costs $3500 + installation
► Efficiency – Produces 10 gallons of drinking water per minute. Uses only a minimal amount water to keep the membrane clean, but requires electricity.
► Maintenance – Cartridge needs to be replaced once every 3-5 years.

Compiled from the following sources:

1)-http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/19/AR2010051902599.html
2) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/11/AR2008111101148.html
3) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33850-2004Oct14.html
4) http://www.epa.gov/dclead/
5) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/18/AR2007071801956.html
6) www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61555-2004Nov18.html
7) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/09/ST2008030901877.html
http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=Mjk2OTE2NDY2YmVjOGQ4ZGE4OTc0ODlhZTRkYTBmOWQ=
9) www.Ecologicalhomeideasmagazine.com
10) http://www.gem.msu.edu/pubs/msue/wq22p1.html
11) http://www.aquacore.com/
12) www.wqa.org

michael gotthelf

As of April 2010, the US EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule 40 CFR, part 745 goes into effect. The new rule requires that contractors working on houses constructed before 1978 become “Certified Renovators” and use lead paint safe renovation practices and procedures.

For centuries, going back to the Romans, the element lead (pb) has been been documented to be a poisonous chemical, particularly for the very young. In this country it has long been used as an additive in oil based paint. In Europe, lead paint was banned in the 1920’s and 30’s, but the US didn’t enact a ban until 1978. (Note that lead paint is still used for certain industrial applications including marine paint and the yellow lines on your neighboood street.)

Homes built before 1978 have a high likelihood of having lead based paint, particularly on woodwork since lead was an additive in oil based paint, not in water based paint. Note that some percentage of homes built after 1978 also have proven to have lead paint, even though lead paint was banned for residential use in 1978.

The new EPA rules require the following:

1 Contractors must provide their customers with the EPA lead brochure. (Not a new rule). http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadpdfe.pdf
2 Posting warning signs on job sites for homeowners and visitors
3 HEPA and wet vacuuming
4 Bans heat guns, grinders and sanders on woodwork unless equipped with HEPA filter.
5 Individual certification (Managers need to take a class and apply for certification.)
6 Disposable drop cloths
7 Containment areas to prevent spreading dust
8 Cleaning and waste disposal practices.
9 Verification and record keeping (3 years)
a. Notification of owner/occupant receipt of the Renovate Right pamphlet or attempt to inform.
b. Documentation of work practices.
c. Certified Renovator certification, and proof of worker training.
10 Exemptions:
a. Home was built after 1978.
b. Disturbing less than 6 sft.
c. House or components test lead free by a Certified Risk Assessor, Lead Inspector or Certified Renovator

Like asbestos before it, lead represents the proverbial feral cat that got out of the bag and then proliferated and wreaked havoc.

While it should be lauded for its work to finally address head on the issue of what happens when a remodeling contractor rips apart a home draped in lead paint, the resolution is arriving decades after the problem.

While it’s hard to guess what will be the next “lead paint” or “asbestos” you can be sure that at some point there will be something else that we all have in our homes. In the delicate balance between the duty of government to protect its citizens and the duty of industry to turn a profit for its shareholders, don’t hold your breath waiting for the right answer.

Or perhaps you should hold your breath. Formaldehyde is a likely candidate and an example of another widely used chemical which is known to cause serious health effects. It is classified as a known human carcinogen and can cause respiratory distress, depression, coma, renal failure, gastrointestinal damage, etc. Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring in many things including wood and urine. In its man made form, industry widely uses it in all manner of industrial and consumer products. This includes everything from insulation, cigarettes, pressed board cabinets and melamine counters to that wrinkle free shirt on your back. (That’s one of the reasons you wash clothes before you wear them. You wash your fruit before eating it; you should wash your fruit of the loombs before wearing them.) Building products, particularly variants of pressed board contain varying amounts of formaldehyde.

In 1982 US Consumer Safety Product Administration called for a ban of Urea-Formaldehyde, though it did not result in a ban in the U.S. Europe, also, has not banned urea-formaldehyde.

The other variant of formaldehyde used in building products, phenol-formaldehyde, is somewhat less toxic. Urea formaldehyde off-gasses at a slower rate than phenol formaldehyde. However because the less toxic variant is a bit more costly industry often chooses to use the more toxic variant for their resins and additives. A ban of urea formaldehyde would cause small cost increases for construction but should have the opposite effect on health care costs.

Remember those 145,000 formaldehyde laden FEMA trailers purchased by FEMA with $2.7 Billion of no-bid contracts for survivors of the Katrina hurricane? In February of 2010, our Congress came up with the bright idea of sending them to Haiti. Recently they were sold.

http://gsaxcess.gov/htm/fema/doc/CDC%20Formaldehyde%20Exposure%20Reference.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/07/AR2007030702628.html

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/01/us-lawmakers-push-fema-trailers-for-haiti/

CASE STUDY: GREEN RENOVATION WITH SMALL ADDITION – FOCUS ON QUALITY RATHER THAN QUANTITY

The owner of this upper Northwest DC single family home had been renting it out to a group of recent college graduates and decided it was time to return to this wonderful DC neighborhood.

[When they grow a little older, the tenants will surely reminisce about this, their first adult abode: the front door was missing both handle and lock so they used the side door; the kitchen functioned mostly for beer storage; one of the tenants lived in a large closet and the two other rooms were little bigger. The home was dark, drafty and without any insulation. The sole bathroom needed bleach and a sledgehammer.]

After hiring an architect who proposed tearing down the house and building new, Landis Construction, a Design/Build firm, was retained to redesign the home. A renovation suited the client’s budget. The project focused on quality of space rather than quantity. Her goals include a much more energy efficient home with comfortable and more open spaces tailored to her personal lifestyle. From the outset, her wish list included a geo-thermal heating and cooling system.

[see below as-built/demo plan]

After our first round of schematic design, the already modest (15’x22’) addition shortened from almost 15 feet to 8 feet so that the budget would accommodate the geothermal heating system. Because of the thoughtfulness of the design of the interior space, the 8 additional feet was sufficient for the homeowners needs. The 150 square which the homeowner lopped off of the initial design also represents space she doesn’t need pay to heat and cool or clean.

During the design process, we looked not just at the potential new space, but at underutilized space in the home. At the first floor a wall between the existing kitchen and dining room was removed to open the floor plan. The existing front door had opened into the center of the house. To create a more defined entry area and living room, we relocated the door to the side and reworked the windows at the front façade. Brick was carefully toothed in to make the door location look original.

At the second floor the bedrooms and existing bathroom were reconfigured to create a guest bedroom and a larger master bedroom with a substantial closet with laundry center and larger master bathroom. The homeowner chose a unique Japanese style seated soaking tub which we integrated with a shower area.

The project had numerous Green features including:

• A new Geo-thermal heat pump system with one vertical well in the rear yard.
• Ductwork sealed with mastic and carefully sized using Manual J & D calculations.
• Icynene foam insulation throughout including the attic rafters, exterior walls and band boards.
• At least 40% of debris (by weight) was recycled by our roll off dumpster provider, Environmental Alternatives (EAI).
• The eaves on the south face of the house were deepened over the windows to provide shade from summer sun.
• A new attic fan was installed to pull air through the house during temperate months. By installing an attic fan in the ceiling of the first floor (rather than in an exterior wall) and using an attic window to allow air to escape, we avoided interrupting the attic’s thermal envelope.
• Ceiling fans in bedrooms and common areas.
• We built custom kitchen counters with Forbo Marmoleum with a wood edge detail. (Marmoleum is a resilient and completely natural product made from Linseed oil.)
• Fusiotherm water piping throughout the house.
• New Pella energy star clad wood windows throughout the home.
• Low VOC paints, caulks and adhesives. Bon-Kemi low VOC polyurethane on all floors.
• Compact Fluorescent lighting.
• Energy Star appliances.
• Low flow plumbing fixtures.
• IKEA cabinets – no added formaldehyde boxes and low VOC finish.
• Energy star exhaust fans in the bathrooms on timer switches.
• An integrated vegetable steamer at the kitchen sink provides energy efficient, healthy meals.

Like many projects, the design process carefully balanced budget with the owner’s many objectives and wishes. As noted above, the addition was made a bit smaller than during the first round of design. The original selection of tile flooring in the kitchen and addition was replaced with oak flooring to match the rest of the house. IKEA cabinetry was selected for their green features and their aesthetic, but also to accommodate the budget.

The end result is a home without any feeling of compromise, at once cozy and commodious, but generously proportioned, energy efficient and healthy. The homeowner is very happy with her home. She enjoys hosting a dinner club now and loves the praise she receives.

She is also delighted with her decision not to tear down the house and add it to a landfill, as her previous architect had suggested. As is often the case, the greenest innovation was to do little rather than much.

To see photographs of this project cut and paste the following link into your browser:

http://www.landisconstruction.com/our_portfolio/g_05.htm