Wellspring Water Technologies

Treating Saline Groundwater When we think of unlocking new sources of needed freshwater, many of us look to the sea and the promise of desalination. Indeed, many plants are currently operating worldwide producing billions of gallons of fresh water from the earth's abundance of seawater. In Carlsbad, California, a billion dollar desalination plant opened in December of 2015 and is now producing 37 billion gallons of freshwater annually. See the first picture below. ... Unfortunately, seawater desalination is very expensive in both energy and materials use, mainly because it relies on the use of reverse osmosis filtration technology. Second picture For example, the cost of the water produced at the Carlsbad plant is roughly 3 times that of other municipal sources. As pointed out in our last post, there are vast storehouses of untapped saline groundwater, right beneath our feet here in southern California, why not consider treating and using these sources? Thankfully, we are. California recently granted more than $34 million to non-seawater brackish, surface and subsurface water desalination projects. Unfortunately, that approach also isn’t cheap nor is it without environmental concerns. While less expensive than seawater desalination, these projects still rely on reverse osmosis technology requiring large amounts of energy and producing a concentrated form of waste by-product known as "brine". Third picture Further, as these projects are located inland, the brine can't be safely and easily dumped back into the sea as with seawater desalination. Also, as is the case with desalinated seawater, these plants will not likely be able to be economically competitive for years to come thus requiring expensive and ongoing taxpayer subsidies to remain economically viable. We need to develop better, more environmentally conscious and economically appropriate solutions. At Wellspring we have used our technology along with natural chelating agents to create soil conditions that drive salts away from plant root zones and that, over time, have the potential to actually begin removing salts from both soil and ground water aquifers. These technologies work in complement with the natural systems of soil and plant development and the ground water recharge cycle. We are relatively early in the development of this technology but so far the results are striking, as described in one case study on the slide below. Fourth and fifth pictures Learn More on our website: www.wellspringwatertechnologies.com

The Fountains of the Deep ...in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (Genesis 7:10-11).... Recent scientific discoveries right here in California, while not necessarily directly related to the Biblical account, point to the existence of vast amounts of fresh, and nearly fresh water, available for our use, right under our feet.... While we have been accessing this valuable asset at an ever increasing rate over the years, many believe we will need to significantly increase our reliance on groundwater sources as our state's population continues to grow and as drought conditions, potentially related to climate change, continue causing surface sources to dwindle. In a 2016 paper entitled Salinity of Deep Groundwater in California: Water Quantity, Quality and Protection, two Stanford Scientists, Mary Kang and Robert Jackson, were able to quantify vast volumes of water, suitable for agriculture and human consumption in California's agricultural "bread basket", the Central Valley, that were 3 times previous estimates and that were at depths that were readily reachable with current well-drilling technology. In addition, they found an even larger amount of saline water that could also be used, if treated. The final, and very important point of their paper, highlighted the close proximity of these important sources of groundwater to human oil and gas exploration activities and the obvious need, therefore, to vigilantly monitor and protect them. At Wellspring Water Technologies we have been serving local, San Diego clients who have chosen to access the "fountains of the deep" on their own properties for years! With municipal water rates rising, many customers, especially those with larger properties, or who have ranches or small farms, find it more economical or environmentally responsible to "go off the grid" and drill their own well. Many, however, once their well is drilled, find their water quality too poor for their intended use. That's where the "water engineers" come in. We have been able, time and again to use our technologies, to treat and condition almost any water type for almost any intended use. To learn more click here In our Next Post We Focus on the Opportunities and Challenges of Treating Saline Ground Water

The Wellpure Water Treatment System and Hard Water Scale Removal In the Southwestern US, many of us have pools filled with highly-mineralized, "hard water". Over time, the water being recirculated in these pools increases in alkalinity. When temperature and alkalinity levels reach a certain point, calcium carbonate molecules "precipitate", or take on a crystal form. ... Unfortunately for us, these crystal deposits are often unsitely, and occur on decorative pool surfaces or in expensive pool equipment, damaging them, and impacting their effeciency. The Wellpure Water Treatment System keeps these crystals from forming on pool surfaces and equipment and even breaks down and removes prior crystal deposits over time. Take a look at the video clip below. Check out the details on our website at : www.wellspringwatertechnologies.com

Our Biggest and Most Important Client LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad, California has been thrilling families since it opened on March 20, 1999. In 2017, Wellspring Water Technologies was asked by Legoland Management to help them improve the look of their water-related attractions while eliminating their use of the caustic and expensive chemical Bromine and reducing their use of Chlorine. In order to test out our technology and expertise they allowed us to retrofit the water...Continue reading

Agricultural Water Use - Part 7 (Final Post in This Series) In Our Final Post in This Series We Look to the Future Lets recap the story so far:...Continue reading

Agricultural Water Use - Part 6 Which Foods Use the Most?- Part 2 Last time we learned that that not all foods are equal when it comes to the amount of water needed to bring them to your grocer's shelf. We also learned that when it came to animal products, they were almost always more intensive water users than vegetable products. In previous posts we also learned how much water is lost via wasteful farm practices....Continue reading

Agricultural Water Use - Part 5 Which Foods Use the Most?- Part 1 of 2 We've seen that most of the water on our planet is not usable and most (about 80%) of that very small, usable portion of fresh water is used, not to drink, bathe with or water our lawns, but to grow food....Continue reading

Part 4 In the Series - Agricultural Water Use The Role of Conservation Last time we talked about just how frighteningly little, clean, fresh water there really is on this supposedly "blue planet". Most of it is sea water, and of the rest, a lot of that is either too salty, too deep to get, too boggy or swampy or just too polluted to use.... It might seem that conservation could save the day, right? Well, in the west it has increasingly been a helpful tool but its been a long slow adoption process as the graphic at the bottom of the page indicates. Only 4% of U.S. farms use "precision" irrigation. Why is that? Well, for one thing, some crops don't like that kind of irrigation. I farm avocados. Recently, I planted a few hundred new trees and tried drip irrigation for their first five years. The result? Dwarf trees that underproduced my neighbors "broadcast irrigation-fed" trees of the exact same species! Other crops have the same limitations. So, the potential of "precision irrigation" can be limited by plant biology. In addition, switching out irrigation infrastructure can be expensive and when farmers are already hurting it can be hard to convince them to make these types of investments. In developing countries, these same issues, and many more, create even greater barriers to practicing water conservation in agriculture. Often, the main subsistence crops, like rice, require huge amounts of water in the form of "flood-type" irrigation techniques. Wellspring has a proven green technology, which uses no chemicals or electricity and which produces no waste, that changes the distribution of salt ions in soil causing a beneficial change in the Sodium Absorption Ratio (or "SAR"), an important measure of soil health. What does this mean? It means that some water sources, such as that unusable salty well water discussed above, which previously could not be used with certain crops, now can be safely used when treated with Wellspring technology! Just think of the impact on this global issue if we were to unlock only a small part of this previously unusable supply? This benefit, together with the fact that our treatment technology also allows soil to both accept and retain irrigation water more effectively while allowing plants to expend less energy absorbing and transporting water, thus saving water, brings at least one powerful solution to these complex series of problems. Its a perfect product for both the developed and the developing world. Subsistence farmers in the developing world often do not have access to electricity or chemicals and are often already living in areas plagued by industrial waste and pollution. Wellspring's technology is completely green, compatible with their existing farming techniques, and will not add to their already formidable environmental problems.

Part 3 in the Series - Agricultural Water Uses Earth - the Water Planet? Globally, as in America, most of the fresh water on the planet is also used to grow food. While the earth is clearly a watery place, just how much fresh water, suitable for agriculture, general irrigation and human consumption is really available to us?... About 71% of the earth's surface is water-covered and the oceans hold about 97% of all earth's water, however, all of that is saline and generally unavailable for the uses described, above given current technology. Of the total freshwater sources available, about 68% is locked up and unavailable in ice and glaciers and another 30% is underground. Doing the math, that leaves about 2% of earth's fresh water supplies available and on the surface. Unfortunately, some of this supply is also unsuitable as it exists in swamps and bogs, salt lakes or other biologically or man-contaminated water bodies. As for the ground water, some of that can be pumped out of wells (some is way too deep to get) but about 55% of that ground water is also considered too saline to use for agriculture, general irrigation and human consumption. By now you should be starting to see why this whole agricultural vs. urban use issue is such a big deal - and we have not even begun discussing the biggest agricultural users yet (hint - dairy, nuts, alfalfa...) More to come on that. Once again, we need answers and technology can be one of them. We have proven scientifically that our green technology, which uses no chemicals or electricity and which produces no waste, changes the distribution of salt ions in soil causing a beneficial change in the Sodium Absorption Ratio (or "SAR"), an important measure of soil health. What does this mean? It means that some water sources, such as that 55% of unusable salty well water discussed above, which previously could not be used with certain crops, now can be safely used when treated with Wellspring technology! Just think of the impact on this global issue if we were to unlock on a small part of this previously unusable supply? This benefit, together with the fact that our treatment technology also allows soil to both accept and retain irrigation water more effectively while allowing plants to expend less energy absorbing and transporting water, thus saving water, brings at least one powerful solution to these complex series of problems.

AGRICULTURAL WATER USE - PART 2 Most of us probably don't realize just how much of this limited resource goes to produce the food that we eat. In the U.S., 40% of our fresh water goes to grow food - in California, its more like 80%! In the first part of our series, we discussed the competition for water between urban users and the agriculture community, a competition that becomes increasingly intense during times of drought. Just imagine what it might be like if the predict...ions of climate change begin to come to pass in the increasingly arid desert southwest! The recent legalization of the recreational use of marijuana in California has added a whole new level of complexity to the debate. While many progressive politicians are thrilled with this new, very lucrative tax revenue source, they are, at the same time, rightly concerned about the introduction of an additional, very large and very thirsty, agricultural commodity to the long list of thirsty existing California crops. Just as the old adage goes with real estate, so it goes with water, "they ain't making any more of it". So, the challenge is to unlock new sources and to better use the ones we have. At Wellspring Water Technologies we believe technology can be one of the answers to both of these challenges. We have proven scientifically that our green technology, which uses no chemicals or electricity and which produces no waste, changes the distribution of salt ions in soil causing a beneficial change in the Sodium Absorption Ratio (or "SAR"), an important measure of soil health. What does this mean? It means that some water sources, such as salty well water, which previously could not be used with certain crops, now can be safely used when treated with Wellspring technology! This benefit, together with the fact that our treatment technology also allows soil to both accept and retain irrigation water more effectively and allows plants to expend less energy absorbing and transporting water, thus saving water, brings at least one powerful solution to these complex series of problems.

PART 1 IN A SERIES - AGRICULTURAL WATER USE While we can't live without its bounty, agriculture is the world's largest consumer of fresh water. Yet, in 2015, when California Governor Jerry Brown forced urban agencies to cut water use by 25%, farmers were left alone, why? The answer, water rights! California's corporate farmers are a billion dollar industry and their continued access to billions of acre feet of cheap, fresh water is the key to their continued profits. At th...e same time, supplies to growing, and increasingly dry urban and suburban communities are dwindling. In 2017, a new and powerful agricultural crop entered the fray - cannabis! More on that later... This is a complex, multi-variable problem requiring comprehensive solutions - There is no single answer. We believe new, green technologies, such as the Wellpure Water Treatment System from Wellspring Water Technologies can help. In studies to date, we have shown the ability to cut agricultural water use by from 30% to 50% by improving soil water retention, reducing runoff and improving crop water absorption and transportation. Since agriculture uses so much it only takes a little savings to have an impact on the big picture!