Is this going to get rid of that pink residue that stains our tub and shower curtains? What is that crap, fluoride? Nasty stuff! Or is it a result hard well water?

That pink stuff is just harmless mineral deposits, Chief. I can't believe you had to find this out from the comments section of a local newspaper website, but here we are. Sigh.

No, the pink stain comes from a common airborne bacteria, with Serratia marcescens being the most typical culprit. It has nothing to do with water quality.

It tends to happen in places where standing water is present long enough for the chlorine in water to dissipate, like water in guest bathroom toilet bowls, showers, etc.

Chlorine bleach is the most effective way to treat the stains, just don't leave chlorine in a toilet bowl for more than a couple of hours, it is powerful enough to start degrading rubber seals, valves, etc.

Translation: clean your bathroom more often, Chief.

FYI, that apartment complex hasn't been called Oakwood for years and the signage has long changed.

It's currently called Eaves.

@Chief 2moons

The pink stuff is bacteria. Clean your tub from time to time - that's nasty.

I don't understand why they can't flush the mains and capture the water for re-use elsewhere? There are folks that pay big bucks to have water trucked in for construction or places off the water distribution network. Our fire department uses water for training purposes. Why not install a storage tank for reclaimed water at their training facility?

Besides simply wasting the water, the flushing also sends chloramine into the creeks. Chloramine kills fish. Am I missing something?

"Why not install a storage tank for reclaimed water at their training facility?"

Because water costs $5 for 1000 gallons. Could you build a 10,000 gallon storage tank for $50? And don't forget the cost of renting a tanker truck.

"Chloramine kills fish"

It might surprise you that there is not enough chloramine in drinking water to kill fish. Or people.

The tap water in my 'hood has been tasting like mold for the past few years. We're serviced by CA Water Service Co. We've complained with no response from CA water other than water quality meets regulatory standards --- with no reference to mold or bacteria. CA water needs to clean their wells and their mains.

Hey Chief,

I never had that before and only started to notice it after they started to add fluoride to our water.

Actually, studies have show chloramine as a mutagen, a potential cancer-causing substance and its toxicity to aquatic life is well known.

Chloramine can be lethal to fish, particularly if all the water is changed at once, like home fish tanks. Consumers can buy neutralizing drops for their fish tanks, the same chemical that is used at waste water treatment plants. Larger aquatic facilities (aquariums, fish farms, etc.) use UV light to neutralize chloramine.

Home brewers use chemical tablets for removing chlorine/chloramine from water because it negatively affects beer flavor. Water used in kidney dialysis is also removed of chlorine/chloramine because of noted toxicity to patients.

Flushing the mains by opening hydrants does cause chloramine-treated water to go down storm drains, but the quantity is considered nominal relative to large bodies of water where storm drains empty into (the Bay, the ocean).

The storm drain runoff after the first few rainstorms of the season is far more toxic anyhow than an annual mains flushing

"It might surprise you that there is not enough chloramine in drinking water to kill fish. "

Yeah, right. Tell that to my wife after I spent $300 replacing her tropical fish killed when my son used straight tap water to clean and top off the tank! First you have to break the Amonium and Chloride bond, then aerate the water at least 24 hours. Since we've been doing that, no more lost fish in the tanks.

From Mountain View's own Water Quality Report:
Drinking water provided to the City of Mountain View by the SFPUC and the SCVWD is disinfected using chloramine. Although people and animals can safely drink chlo- raminated water, chloramine must be removed or neutralized for some special users, including some business and industrial customers, kidney dialysis patients, and customers with fish and amphibian pets. More information on chloramine is available at: Web Link mdbp/chloramines_index.cfm.

You get the report in the mail every year, or read it here at:
Web Link
Bottom of page 4

Web Link

Yes, it was 8.2 million gallons, but how is one to know how much is lethal...

As for water tanks, the US military throws away water storage bladders by the thousands....

Steve? Care to comment?

No?

Didn't think so.

Oh good lord.. Steve you know nothing of what you speak.

Go buy some fish at the pet store. Fill a fish tank with Mountain View tap water.

Drop the fish in. They will be dead in less than 15 minutes.

I lost an entire tank this way when I did a water change and forgot to neutralize the tap water.

It might be perfectly safe to drink, cook, and shower with but it will kill fish without question.

Drought? what drought? Thousands of spare gallons to flush the mains. But if I use the hose and 5 gallons of water to wash my car in Mtn View, it's a ticket.

They are dechlorinating the water as they discharge it so the fish are safe.

still smells....will there be an update?

@yuck:

Contact the city, but do so next week.

The article clearly states that the work was scheduled from Wednesday through Friday (today), so it's possible that they haven't yet reached the specific water main that supplies your residence since Friday isn't over yet.

Flushing the mains may temporarily make the water a little murky and smelly, but it's not harmful. You may have to wait a couple of days for the sediment to settle in the pipes. Before they flush the mains, you might want to pour off some drinking/cooking water for a couple of days.

Steve, FYI, you are wrong about the amount of chloramines in the water here not being enough to kill fish. I lost $4000 in fish because of those chloramines when I moved my koi here from Milpitas. Pond guy treated the water as if it was the same as Milpitas, but water here is WAY more toxic to them.

I have been adding pure untreated MV tap water for my tropical fish for more than 5 years now.
I complete a 30-40% water change and gravel vacuum every month. I have NEVER lost fish yet due to MV tap water.
Come to my house today and you'll me do it again without issue.

As I said, no issues at all for me w/ using untreated MV water in my tank, but my fish investment is probably less than $100.00.
If I had thousands of dollars wrapped up in fish,I sure as heck would make damn sure the water was perfect BEFORE putting the fish in. I also would hire someone capable of properly testing the water PRIOR to adding the fish, esp if those fish are less than hearty. The pond guy killed your carp, you said it yourself, and since the issue may not be w/ MV water and your pond guy is obviously not top notch, you might look to other issues. Also, never use that pond guy again.

Wow. The biggest issue here is whether the discharge of water with a minute amount of chloramine will harm fish? Consider the amount of water in the bay vs. the amount of chloraminated water headed into it. Consider the amount of crap that is already in bay water. Undetectable impact.
We're supposed to be in a drought of critical proportions, yet it's Ok for the city to flush thousands of gallons down the gutter. Something other than the water stinks in this story.

"I have NEVER lost fish yet due to MV tap water."

Some may never lose any fish due to MV's tap water. Because not all of MV's water is sourced from the same place, and not all the water from MV is treated. If you live in area where you get water from San Jose or Santa Clara it has chloramine, if you get it from Hetch Hetchy it isn't. We used to get great water from Hetch Hetchy in MV and then moved 2 miles away to a new (older) home. The water was completely different!

Of course that was 10 years ago, and I haven't kept up with the Hetch Hetchy news to see they are adding it there now too.

The water in Mountain View has chloramine.

From the city's own water quality report (page 4)

"Chloramine Disinfectant - Drinking water provided to the City of Mountain View by the SFPUC and the SCVWD is disinfected using chloramine. Although people and animals can safely drink chloraminated water, chloramine must be removed or neutralized for some special users, including some business and industrial customers, kidney dialysis patients, and customers with fish and amphibian pets. More information on chloramine is available at: Web Link

Source: Web Link

About 85% of Mountain View's water comes from SFPUC ("Hetch Hetchy"), 9% from SCVWD (south of Cuesta Drive), about 3% from city wells, and 3% recycled from Palo Alto plant (Shoreline north of US-101 for irrigation purposes only).

The water used in flushing the mains accounts for less than one-tenth of one percent of the total water used in Mountain View in a year.

I guess my other post rankled someone so I'll rephrase. Just to confirm, my tropical tank has been using nothing but untreated MV tap water for the past 5 years with zero issues. I perform gravel vacs and water changes each month. Last night I dumped about 70% new MV tap water into the tank and my tropical fish are completely fine, as expected and as usual per the past 5 years I've had this tank.
If I had a lot of money in the fish, I would likely treat the water just as most all other towns including MV suggest, but I have found it unnecessary.
Remember, it is YOUR responsibility to put your fish in clean water. I know it is just common sense, but please ensure your hired professionals are capable of testing the water prior to putting any expensive fish in the tank.

Just wondering, is it okay to shower? Have been showering but not cooking

"The water used in flushing the mains accounts for less than one-tenth of one percent of the total water used in Mountain View in a year."

Mountain View delivers 10 million gallons of water PER DAY. Do the math for a year at one-tenth of one percent and that comes out close to 4 MILLION GALLONS WASTED by flushing the mains. I'm worried about every drop I use, but seeing this kind of waste certainly demotivates me from being so water conscious. The City needs to lead by example and at lest make some token effort to recycle some of the water that is being flushed from the mains. Bring in an empty water truck to fill, water the local park, explore emergent recycling systems, SOMETHING to show we're not just throwing millions of gallons down the drain, literally.

"I'm worried about every drop I use..."

Jay, if you are worried at the DROP level, then that is a mental health issue.