How come no tap water readings for the last 2 weeks?
Are you still testing and the levels are just to low to record or did you stop recording tap water samples altogether?
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Are you still testing and the levels are just to low to record or did you stop recording tap water samples altogether?
Tap water was less than
Tap water was less than minimum detectable activity during our high run-off period and we were able to see the dilution between the rain water, creek water, then tap water. Since we have limited capacity to do these tests, we need to prioritize samples that will most likely show results. I agree that a negative result (below MDA) shows us something, but we would rather continue monitoring samples, like milk, that still have measurable levels. I have spoken with the team and suggested doing a tap water measurement when we have an open cave.
Tesing at a later date.
Thanks for the response. One question. Could you take samples daily and test them at a later date. I realize that some particles would die out, but I'm sure you could come up with some formula to figure out what it was at the time the sample was taken.
For Cs137 we could do this
For Cs137 we could do this because it will stick around. But for I131, which is our main focus at this point, we would lose information if it decayed below (or near) or detectability limits. However, we have not observed Cs137 in our tap water samples so it is a long shot we will see anything. I have suggested to the team to do spot checks of tap water in large reduction runs (20 to 1 reduction) so that we can create a high concentration and reduce our MDA limits. Less than MDA is not that interesting, it is kind of a go-no go test which does not give us any quantitative data on pathways.
How about drinking water from rainwater?
Instead of tap water which comes from the (still-frozen) Sierras, which is the source of your tap water on campus, how about checking reservoir water? This is from the Marin Municipal Water District site: "The residents of southern and central Marin are served by a unique water supply system. The district obtains 75 percent of the water consumed annually from rainfall collected in seven reservoirs in Marin." These residents are likely to have significantly higher findings than those you have published, don't you agree?
Possibly, but you should
Possibly, but you should just look out our creek water results if you want to get a conservative result. We took these during the deluge in the second week after the event and found that very quickly the amounts we observed fell off rapidly. I think small reservoirs would have less dilution, so in theory, higher findings are possible. We can look into this in the near future.
Thanks for the quick and direct response
I hope you can follow up and check it out. (It is hard to really evaluate without the data - the creek water is from a presumed non-radiated source, with radiated water mixing in (at rates which vary greatly from time-to-time), as opposed to the reservoirs, into which the whole of the rainfall empties. Keep up the good work!
That is good. What is in the caves now and when results?
still waiting for last weeks rainwater
its driving me crazy waiting as I check every few hours when I can.
I frankly prefer the milk, rain, spinach, etc reports to the tap but do hope that when you can tell us for certain on tap that its below MDA that would not be bad news.
Bad news would be increased or level cesium and iodine in rain wand milk and spinach and mushrooms SO I am really hoping we get more results soon.
So what's next in the caves? And when will its hibernation be over and results emerge?
Hi Bill, As you have seen,
Hi Bill,
As you have seen, we have posted results. As we work on ever more efficient processes for analysis scripts, we have to go through a process of review to ensure that the results posted from these new scripts match our old analyses. We have a team doing this continually, but sometimes a member is out for some reason or another and the results do not get released because proper reviews have not been done yet. We apologize for the delay and we hope results will be more timely in the future. Please bear with us...we would hate to have to retract results due to a lack of review.
No need to apologize
I am a worrier and so the delay has been unnerving, but I understand.
I am very grateful for the rainwater results, look forward to the milk and spinach results (with fear and apprehension but hope that they will go down) and still will appreciate tap results when you got 'em.
tap water testing should be expanded
I believe that there is sufficient concern for transparency and public safety that you should make every effort to sample, test, and report upon tap water as widely and as often as your resources permit.
At a time like this it is always best to err on the side of good information and public safety.
Another vote for testing tap water
I am also interested in new tap water results.
Thank you for all the
Thank you for all the testing you are doing. I would like to see more tap water data, to know for sure that it's going down.
Also, could you report if the tap water source is surface water or ground water and also the detention time in the water treatment plant.
EPA does not have user friendly data and the time lag is too long. Again, thank you for the testing.
KEEPING THE EPA HONEST
Since the EPA is testing the tapwater, all the more reason for you to post your findings. Then we will know if they're to be believed. Please continue to test and post the tap water data.
Hey BRAWM team: The EPA is godawful slow with their results
While I want rainwater/soil/produce tests MOST, I do want tap results after heavy rains to see if the results go up.
The damn EPA takes like a week or more sometimes to even test and post their results.
And RIGHT NOW I am dying to know ythe latest rain reports as the "washout" will really tell us the biggest story. But if you get increases in any new rains and soil etc (PLEASE do new spinach, shrooms, etc too asap) then certainly checking tap water might help us be reassured (if your conclusion is right that there is little or no radiation that your equipment can detect.
Most of us (or many) have no real faith in the EPA to get the data to us accurately and quickly (especially as water safety was just cut drastically in the new budget proposal)
we TRUST you guys to give us acccurate results of the sampling! But what is in the RAIN tells the most important story, if it is in the rain it is in everything else on the ground.
I would be very interested.
I would be very interested. Thanks for all the hard work you guys are great!
Yes I too would be very
Yes I too would be very interested in having tap water tested again.
Thank you
It seems some people on this
It seems some people on this forum are still concerned about tap water. Obviously, every town would be different, since they get their water from different sources. I would like to see the numbers even if they are undetectable. Are you still testing tap water, and if not why did you stop?
Thanks in advance.
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Reasons for not measuring tap water
First of all, the tap water is being monitored by the EPA . The primary reason that we have not been monitoring tap water is that we do not expect to be able to measure anything based on our continued monitoring of air and rainwater. The concentrations in air and rainwater have been steadily decreasing and we know that the tap water is diluted by several orders of magnitude from the rainwater levels. We also know that there was only a single major release of radiation that occurred at the Fukushima plant coinciding with the hydrogen explosions and it was over 3 weeks ago. Finally the only time we were able to detect anything the only peak we measured was below our 99% confidence limit.
That said if there is significant public interest we will consider doing more tapwater samples.
Cameron [BRAWM Team Member]
Frankly we all know the EPA
Frankly we all know the EPA is lagging in testing tap water. Their information is not current and also they are not testing here in the bay area.
As we have seen over the past few weeks the EPA is not going to incite panic and will hide the results if they are poor or will claim the monitoring machines are "not functioning at this time".
Is milk testing that important? I would argue no where near as important as tap water for the following reasons:
1) We wash our dishes in it, take showers in it, brush our teeth in it, and some even drink it.
2) You can stop drinking milk or turn to soy alternatives
While the Berkeley team is doing a fantastic job with their results to make a statement that says the EPA is taking care of it is not comforting and to me is somewhat reckless given the concerns of the men, women, mothers and fathers on this forum.
If this becomes a cost issue I'm sure the people on this forum would gladly donate $$$ to fund tap water testing.
Your testing,analysis & findings generate interest in Chicago
Hello Cameron, Here in Chicago,IL we have no reliable venue for data about any samples of anything from later than 3/23-3/31,but the findings take 2 weeks before they're buried somewhere amidst useless BS with a "transparency" claim.When you can finally find it there's also mention of those early milk samples from late-March as having the highest amounts of any other state at the time!! I wouldn't mind someone providing a link to your colleagues at facilities more local to me here as it'd be greatly appreciated. I appreciate the good work you guys do and the only way to bolster the weak efforts of the EPA is by adding everything up from the weather,ocean current,BRAWM data in CA where new "waves" of radionuclides are likely to give me an average timeline before we get it here.Whether it's relevant or not, it's at least a small comfort knowing there's someone on top of things with truthful,timely responses to the common man.Besides that your website has so much to offer anyone looking for a truly accurate-if not "reassuring" assessment of the situation.Thanks again & keep up the good work!! J.Plesha Sr.
Hi Cameron, Yes, please
Hi Cameron,
Yes, please continue to test tap water, for several reasons:
1) The accident continues at Fukushima, the situation is far from stable, and at *least* one more major release occurred since the early explosions - on April 9 and 10. http://www.slideshare.net/iaea/fukushima-radiological-monitoring-and-con....
2) Continuous monitoring would be of scientific and forensic value later on, when the accident and its fallout are being analyzed.
3) Negative results (i.e., no contamination) would really put so many peoples' minds at ease and reduce a lot of stress. And if it is contaminated, there are over 7 million people in the Bay Area who should be aware.
4) Things like this make it very hard - nigh foolish - to trust the EPA on radiation in tapwater. http://www.khou.com/home/I-Team-EPA-under-reports-radiation-in-Americas-...
5) For similar reasons, I believe it would be foolish to rely overmuch on TEPCO/NISA's official reports of emissions. For one thing, at several points the emissions have either been off the readings on the instruments or TEPCO could not get close enough to get a reading, or TEPCO has been unable to determine where releases are coming from, or how much radiation is being released (as in millions of gallons of water discharged into the Pacific before they figured out where the leak was coming from).
Thank you so much for all the work you are doing. Any ideas as to what can we do to convince our local universities to do the same?
Best wishes, Erin
Yes, please test the tapwater & milk
put our family down as very interested in these results
and thanks for your work!
Given the invalidity of the
Given the invalidity of the tap water source comparisons discussed in this post: http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/2461 and the fact that the EPA is very far from what could charitably be considered current in reporting results, and the fact that the latest rainwater results reported here show very similar, not decreased levels from the prior measurements, put me down as a very interested member of the public in continued tap water measurements, particularly from locally-sourced tap water.
I would love tap water
I would love tap water readings. It seems to only test 3 days would not be enough to form an accurate chart or account for possible errors and fluctuations.
i agree .please do some.
just to give us some peace of mind.
thanks
especially after new rains
This is one of the few
This is one of the few sources I trust. So put me down in the thank you for looking at tap water again column.
I would also be very
I would also be very interested in having tap water tested again ...
I would also like to see
I would also like to see some tap water samples and if they turn out to be below detectability range I apologize for wasting your time. But if you can still detect them, that would be quite interesting.
It's seems pretty much agreed upon now that there is some kind of continuous reaction/release going on at Fukushima. Although it looks like their radiation readings are going down now, it also looks like it has been blowing constant offshore winds. This would mean the bulk of radiation would go undetected by land based monitors as it drifts out to the ocean and towards us. It rained again to day and here in Santa Cruz. We get most of our tap water from the San Lorenzo River. And if top soil had your highest readings it could still be filtering into our system.
So why not test tap water to be safe. And from a research point of view, you may never get this chance again, so why not test everything.
Add a little more radiation from reactor 4 fuel pools.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110414a1.html
While we all hope for the
While we all hope for the best there may very well be future radiation releases from Fukushima.
For the sake of sanity and history, please continue to regularly test tap water, rain water, milk, food and soil.
Yes, please keep monitoring
Yes, please keep monitoring tap water, rain water, milk, food and soil! We have no idea what is really happening in Japan and this could continue for a while. Thanks for all your work, my family truly appreciates it.
Please keep testing the tap
Please keep testing the tap water. Thank you!
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I want tap water results
I want tap water results since your asking.
Please test fresh tap water
Please test fresh tap water that was not run through university water filtration.
Testing Tap Water
I agree that it is important to keep testing tap water. Maybe not as important as testing food, soil, and milk, but still important. Contamination is cumulative, so even if tap water tests at below the levels you can measure it now, levels may rise. Also with the spent fuel pools open to the air, and problems at the Daiini Plant, any mistake or further natural disaster could cause significant releases. Since we currently have to read so many different information sources to know what is real, it would really help to have daily measurements of tap water. Sometimes in this situation, we will only know what happened in the recent past by what you are measuring. Obviously what UCB is measuring is what came out of Fukushima approximately one week ago.
Thank you so much for all your continued, diligent hard work. I truly appreciate it.
-SLO