BERKEY® BLOG
The Berkey® by NMCL team values building awareness for water-related issues and helping customers. Sign up for our newsletter to follow along.
Featured
Wells: Common Contaminants and Maintenance Concerns
Newsletter Signup
Subscribe now! Receive the latest articles, stories, product announcements, and support tips.
Social Media
Articles, Stories, News, Announcements
Filter by:
Algal Blooms: Overgrowths of algae or cyanobacteria in water
The following will help you understand the dangers of algal blooms, and the importance of having Black Berkey® Purification Elements to remove or reduce harmful algal toxins from your drinking water. What are algal blooms? Icky, smelly and potentially harmful to your health, algal blooms (or algae blooms) are overgrowths of algae or [...]
Salem, Oregon Spending $75 Million to Protect Drinking Water from Toxic Algal Blooms
The city is upgrading its water treatment infrastructure to help prevent another algal bloom-related cyanotoxin event like the one that forced the city to issue “do not drink” advisories in May and June of 2018. The $75 million project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 and includes a state-of-the-art $40 million ozone treatment system. Ingestion of [...]
Rusty’s Weather Experience: Catching a Tornado Downtown
In our first installment of "Whatever the Weather" Rusty shares his surprise encounter with an F2 tornado. This Is My Story I’ve had two interesting encounters with severe weather. The first was in August 1996 when Mexico’s island of Cozumel was hit by a minor hurricane Dolly and 75 mph sustained [...]
Questionable Levels of Arsenic Found in Some Brands of Bottled Water, Report Finds
Consumer Reports recently conducted a comprehensive examination of arsenic levels in bottled water. Out of more than 130 bottled water brands that had test results available (self reported or commissioned by the publication), 11 had detectable amounts of arsenic. 6 of those had levels of 3 parts per billion (ppb) or higher. The federal standard is 10 ppb. Even though [...]
Review the Big Berkey Water Filter Like a Pro
Not everything on the Internet is true. In fact, there is quite a bit of misinformation out there. Watch out for these key facts. Top 6 must-know facts when reviewing Berkey® water filters: Black Berkey® Purification Elements are powerful purifiers, they are not filters. Berkey® systems are meant to efficiently process (and hold) lots of water. Black [...]
The Fallacy of “All-in-One” Fluoride Reduction Filters
Beware of claims that gravity filtration elements can remove fluoride without any need for separate fluoride reduction elements i.e. “All-in-One” filter elements. Comparison testing now available.
Cryptosporidium and Giardia: Leading Causes of Waterborne Illnesses
What are Cryptosporidium and Giardia? Found all over the world, Cryptosporidium parvum (often referred to as simply “Crypto”) and Giardia lamblia (“Giardia”) are common protozoan parasites that are two of the leading causes of waterborne illnesses. What is a protozoa? Protozoa are microscopic, single-celled organisms that are often parasitic, but may also live outside a host. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [...]
After the Hurricane: Contaminated Flood Water Precautions
When a hurricane is predicted make landfall, being prepared with an adequate supply of clean drinking water ahead of the storm becomes a priority for most people. When flood waters recede however, the danger is not necessarily over. Residents are faced with a new and daunting challenge - the contaminated water left behind. We’ll examine how the recent hurricanes in [...]
Leptospirosis: Serious Illness Often Spread Through Raw, Contaminated Water
What is Leptospirosis? Globally, Leptospirosis is a widespread, emerging public health problem.1 It is a potentially fatal illness that may occur when people come into contact with harmful germs in their environment.2 The bacteria that cause the disease, Leptospira, may be contracted through direct contact with infected animals or their habitats, along with indirect contact via the ingestion of contaminated food or [...]
Wells: Common Contaminants and Maintenance Concerns
How do wells work, and where are they typically located? Found primarily in rural areas, wells tap into underground pockets of water, called aquifers, and pump it into the pipes of your home for drinking, cooking, cleaning and sanitation. Wells are recharged when precipitation and water used for irrigating crops and landscapes seeps into the rock below the surface [...]
