This is the kind of craziness that will never help. If you just look at things from the point of view of saving water and forgetting about other aspects of life then you come out with this kind of crazy thinking.

To save water we need to look at the world at a deeper level and not just from a consumption point of view.

GOOD Transparency – Walk This Way.

This week I have been designing some products on Zazzle using some photos I took while canoeing last summer. I like this one where the upper left is dark green, the lower right is a lighter yellow-green, and the ripples in the water look like wisps of smoke curling up towards the sky making a great background for stationery, invitations, photo cards, and rack cards.

tranquil green water ripples by dlmtleArt
Shop for more cheap stationery online at zazzle

tranquil green water ripples by dlmtleArt
Shop from all the invites on zazzle

tranquil green water ripples by dlmtleArt
View more Tranquil Photo Cards

tranquil green water ripples by dlmtleArt
custom rack cards created at zazzle.com

tranquil green water ripples by dlmtleArt
See more Tranquil Business Cards

Dawna’s Gallery of greeting cards, Matted Prints. and T shirts

Dawna’s Fine Art Prints at

Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery of items featuring her Art and Photography

This stationery is made using one of the macro photos I took last summer while canoeing on the pond with my kids at Ensign Ranch, Cle Elum, Washington. Originally I was aiming at a dragonfly, but one of my kids decided to paddle between the time I pushed the shutter and the photo actually took (Yeah, a digital camera with a shorter delay time is definitely on my wish list ). I still like how this turned out though. There is something about the multiple concentric ripples in the water shining in the sun, it makes an interesting pattern almost like marbleized liquid chrome. I love it as a stationery.

water ripple macro by dlmtleArt
Make my own stationery on Zazzle

This stationery features a close up view of the rippling green water of the pond at Ensign Ranch in Cle Elum, Washington while paddling a canoe.  Interesting patterns of light and shadow form an effect like  chrome marble.

Dawna’s Gallery of greeting cards, Matted Prints. and T shirts

Dawna’s Fine Art Prints at

Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery of items featuring her Art and Photography

Last summer I tried to get some macro photos while out on a canoe in the pond at Ensign Ranch, Cle Elum, Washington. Unfortunately I did not get what I really wanted since it is hard to get several enthusiastic children to ALL stop paddling the canoe at the same time just so mom can snap a photo. I still like this picure, I just was not as close to the dragonfly as I would have liked. I took quite a few pictures but did not end up with the macro I was after. It is much harder to find what you are aiming at in the viewfinder once you have the camera on macro mode and dragonflies don’t always hold still very long. They sure where pretty that day shimmering blue in the sunlight over the golden-green water.

This week I decided to create some product out of the pictures I took that day. Below are a stationery, postage stamp, and even a pair of Keds slip on shoes made using my photo, Dragonfly Over the Water. They are customizable and available for sale on zazzle.com .  Watch for more to come soon.

This stationery features a photo of a blue dragonfly hovering over it’s reflection in the green water of the pond at Ensign Ranch in Cle Elum, Washington.

Dragonfly over the water by dlmtleArt
View more Dragonfly Postage

Dragonfly over the water by dlmtleArt
Make custom Keds at zazzle.com

Dawna’s Gallery of greeting cards, Matted Prints. and T shirts

Dawna’s Fine Art Prints at

Dawna’s Zazzle Gallery of items featuring her Art and Photography

In the Dal Lake, Kashmir, India. By Siddharth Singh (c) 2009

In Asia, the availability of water has become a key issue that could determine whether the region is characterized by cooperation or interstate and international conflict in the years to come.

Undoubtedly, China holds the key to the above question as it controls the Tibetan plateau. The plateau is home to enormous glaciers and the world’s greatest river systems. These rivers act as a ridge-rope for the world’s two most populous countries, China and India, and also to Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, Pakistan, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, which combined are home to 47 percent of the global population.

via The Geopolitics Of The Tibetan Plateau | Sramana Mitra on Strategy.

All the pretty colors.  Great when in a rainbow.  Bad when in your spa.  Spa water should be crystal clear. So when your spa water is yellow, what does that mean?

 Here’s a quick synopsis of what these colors mean:

Cloudy Green

Dude, you got  algae in the water. 

Treatment: Shock your water with chlorine.

See-Through Green or Emerald Green

Acidic Water.  The metals in your heating elements are being stripped. The average cost for a replacement heating element–$200-$250 big green dollars (includes labor).

Treatment: Try a product like Metal Gon by Leisure Time–then balance your chemistry. 

Total Alalinity  80-120, pH 7.2-7.6, .  If this fails, drain and start all over.

Yellowish

 Indicates low total alkalinity and low pH.  It’s also  the precursor to damaging the spa’s heating element. 

Treatment: Balance your  total alkalinity and pH.  Also check your calcium hardness — should be over 250 ppm.  

Treat with calcium increaser.

Blue

Blue rarely happens in above ground spas.  But in-ground gunite spas– with gas-fired heaters–can experience bluish/turquoise water, as well as the same color stains on the plaster. 

Treatment:  Get the total alkalinity pH,   and calcium hardness balanced.  Also check  total dissolved solids (TDS) –not over 1500 ppm–  because that can also begin striping your heater.

Brown

Rare, but happens.  Usually indicates iron in the water. 

Treatment:  Metal Gon should cure it.  If it continues, drain, refill and add a bottle of Metal Gon when you refill.

Akash Ganga is a company based in India which has developed a product to create clean drinking water from air. I blogged about the founder earlier .

Akash Ganga in Hindi translates to the “the perrenial river Ganga from the sky”. Very apt.

I admire the intention behind it and I think it is a great product innovation coming out of India. Now that they have launched a new website with their productI want to figure out their strategy.

Their website and news articles suggest that they are going for the home and office market as a fresh water solution. Is this the right strategy?

It will be interesting to check out the economics.

First, they provide a comparison with reverse osmosis. I think number 4 should be the other way round.

This may not be the right comparison as they both have their uses. Also, most reverse osmosis plants function from sea water and not ground water.

The market for Akash Ganga is different and it works only under some specific circumstances in terms of high humidity, temparature and continous energy.

Their basic product – AS-650 – 40 liters/day – requires a relative humidity of 80% and temparature of 90 Faranheit consuming 750 watts of power per hour and takes 24hrs to produce 40 litres.

Let’s calculate the cost of running this product.

Appliance	Watts	x	Hours per Day	x	Days per Year	÷	Convert to kWh	KwH Per Litre	kWh Rate	=	Cost per Litre
Akash Ganga	750	x	24	x	1	÷	1,000	40/18=2.22	Rs 5.5	=	Rs. 12.2

It takes about 2.22kwH to generate 1 litre of water and costs about Rs12.2 a litre. Average cost of electricty comes from here .

If we add the capital cost and running costs, it may not be an economical alternative in a home.

Next, what about the right conditions for maximum efficiency. It works I think at 50% relative humidity too but provides the maximum output at 80%.

If we look at today’s map of India there are not many places where this product will provide the maximum efficiency.

(Source: Intellicast )

To really take this forward they need to predict the relative humidity in the various cities in India. A journal article like “Prediction of monthly-mean hourly relative humidity, ambient temperature, and wind velocity for India” could be a good start.

Then combined with temperature averages we can narrow down to a possible list of places.

For Bombay these are the following averages for decades.

Add to this the availability of power. There is a 14% shortage of power in India in general due to subsidized power for farmers.

Once locations are filtered through this constraints then market scenarios need to be looked at.

Are homes the best place for this?

I think there needs to be a better strategy in place if this product needs to succeed.

Lol, funny!

If the overall water resources in river basins were acknowledged and managed better, future food crises could be significantly reduced, say researchers from Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, Stockholm Environment Institute and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

The challenge of meeting future water needs under the impacts of climate change and rapidly growing human demands for water may be less bleak than widely portrayed. An analysis [1] by a team of Swedish and German scientists quantifies for the first time the opportunities of effectively using both “green” and “blue” water to adapt to climate change and to feed the future world population.

The current approach to water management considers only blue water, that is river discharge and groundwater. According to the researchers, this limits the options to deal with increasing water scarcity and water risks induced by climate change. Under those conditions, over three billion of the current world population are estimated to suffer from severe water scarcity. The new analysis which additionally accounts for green water, that is water in the soil that stems directly from rainfall, suggests that the actual number is under one billion. It also shows that wise water management can lift billions out of water poverty.

“This opens a new area of investments for climate adaptation and a window to achieve a much needed new green revolution in poor countries in the world. Our analysis shows that many water-short countries are able to produce enough food for their populations if green water is considered and managed well,” the researchers report.

[...] A better use of green water can form the basis for a new green revolution. It may also provide the basis for building resilience towards more frequent and intense floods, droughts and dry spells under human-induced climate change.

“We show that investments in current technologies and improved green water use can promote more robust, climate-resilient farming systems, which provide more stable food supplies,” says Holger Hoff, researcher at the Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research.

[...] Many countries which are classified as chronically blue water-short, have enough blue-plus-green water to produce a standard diet for their populations. Kenya, for example, has plenty of unused or not well-managed green water to benefit from.

[...] The model showed that by 2050, 59 percent of the world population will face blue water shortage, and 36 percent will face green-plus-blue water shortage. This means that 36 percent of the world population will live in countries that will not have enough water to produce their own food.

“Unfortunately, despite the new opportunities arising from our green-blue analysis, our findings show that humanity will still face major water challenges by 2050 in certain regions of the world,” says says lead author Johan Rockström from the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Stockholm Resilience Centre. [If] green water was managed better [...] even under climate change good options would exist to build water resilience in many countries even without expanding cropland.

[1] Rockström, J. … [et al.] (2009). Future water availability for global food production : the potential of green water for increasing resilience to global change. Water resources research ; 45, W00A12, doi:10.1029/2007WR006767.

Source: EurekAlert, 05 May 2009

Picture of Green Water Algae in a Water Garden.

Water Gardens & Features Q & A

Q: I am having a terrible time with green water in my water garden. What can I do? – Abby of California

A: It’s that time of year again when the fish are playing, flowers blooming and your backyard is once again becoming your peaceful retreat, except for that green water in your water garden. Like most of us water garden owners the highlight of our yard is our water feature but what fun are fish if you can’t see and enjoy them? Here are some considerations that may help you take back your water garden.

Filtration: Early in the season your filtration system may not be up to par with the amount of waste and debris left over from the winter months. A good spring clean out may be needed if there is an excessive amount of debris in the bottom of the water garden. If your water garden is relatively clean use a pond vacuum or application of natural bacteria may help get you on your way. This is the time of year to wash out or replace your filter pads to prepare for the coming season.

Fish Load: Have your fish been busy? If your spacious water garden is becoming a full house, it may be time to find a few friends and share the wealth.  Overcrowding is a common source for green water since the filtration system may not be large enough to handle the amount of waste being produced. A simple rule of thumb to ensure room for your fish is 1 fish for every 10 sq. ft. of surface area.

Plant Coverage or Shade: We recommend 40-60% plant coverage in your water garden. This adds to your filtration, since the plants are up taking their nutrients from the water. They also provide the added benefit of shade to help protect your fish from predators. A variety of plants should be used, including: bog(marginal), submerged, water lilies or floating plants. If your not sure what to get, you can check out our aquatic plant packages.

Help Mother Nature Out with Natural Bacteria: Once you’ve checked your filtration, fish load and plant load, it’s time to add some natural bacteria. We recommend the Pond Logic DefensePAC. The DefensePAC is an award winning water garden care system that comprises of 5 products known in the water garden industry as the 5-Steps to Clear Water. They are:

1. Oxy-Lift Defense: The Pond Cleaner.
2. Nature’s Defense: The Pond Balancer.
3. Clarity Defense: The Pond Clarifier.
4. Muck Defense: The Muck Reducer.
5. Seasonal Defense: The Autumn, Winter Prep.

The DefensePAC is an all-in-one source for water garden maintenance and will keep your water sparking clear all season….guaranteed!

What about a UV filter?: You might be wondering why UV filtration wasn’t mentioned as a solution to green water. Indeed, it is a solution but…it is also can be a band-aid covering up a deeper problem. Always be sure that your filtration is adequate and you don’t have too many fish! You should also be using your test kit to make sure your water is safe for your fish. If everything checks
out ok a UV may be a good tool as long as it is not the only one. Just remember if everything mentioned above is in check the green water should take care of itself and you will have a healthier overall ecosystem.

POND TALK: What kind of green water problems have you had? And what did you do to fix them? Please comment and let me know.

Green Water. Single-celled algae growing in your water causes it to turn green. While algae is actually good for your fishes, very few aquarists want green water. Light and fertilizer encourage algae. Decrease both and you will probably not see green water. Water changes and small amounts of salt encourage algae. Fast-growing plants such as anacharis compete with algae for food and will starve it. In the past, algaecides killed algae (and other aquatic plants). Algae Fix appears to do the job these days.

from :http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Misc%20How%20to%20Cure%20Cloudy.htm

note from me :

disebabkan oleh pertumbuhan alga hijau. air hijau dalam jumlah tertentu baik untuk ikan karena berfungsi sebagai produsen Oksigen, anti stres,mikrobial kontrol dan bio filter.

Picture of a Pond.

Pond & Lake Q & A

Q: What can I do to keep my pond clear? – Kara of Florida

A: When I ask my service customers what their top three goals are for their pond, clear water is almost always at the top of the list. Clear water is aesthetically pleasing and is a sign that your pond is healthy and balanced. Across the board, your first step towards clean and clear water is to aerate.

Airmax Aeration keeps the water in motion, allowing it to stay oxygenated while venting toxic gasses and clearing the water. Beyond aeration, there are a few easy steps to follow to clear up that water:

Start by finding the source of the problem. Dip a clear glass of water out of your pond and begin the diagnosis. Match what you see to the following problem/solution.

• Pea Soup Colored Water: This is typically caused by a heavy bloom of planktonic algae. When treating for planktonic algae you must be very careful. Treating too big of an area at any one time could cause oxygen levels to deplete to a point where your fish could die. We highly recommend to have an aeration system running when treating for this type of algae. To help with this issue in the future, you must limit the nutrients that are entering the pond. Do this by limiting organics such as grass clippings, twigs, leaves, branches, etc. from entering the pond. Be careful of fertilizing around your pond as this too will cause algae blooms. Using Nutri-Defense will help bind any nutrients currently in the pond and begin using PondClear or MuckAway natural bacteria to help break down any organics that have already gotten into the pond. These bacteria work by eating any suspended nutrients and bottom muck in the pond to help keep your pond clean and clear.

• Milky Gray or Chocolate Milk Colored Water: Most often this problem is caused by heavy runoff laden with silt and sediment. Aeration will typically take care of this problem within a week or two. If the problem persists, the soil in the water is probably clay. In this situation, apply a double dose of Nutri-Defense to try and help flocculate the suspended particulates.

• Stained Brown/Black Like Tea or Coffee Colored Water: This color water is usually a result of heavy leaf litter on the pond’s bottom. When leaves sit for long periods of time, they can release tannins into the water column causing brown/black colored water. Use a Lake Rake to rake out the bulk of the material, and follow up with MuckAway to help accelerate the decomposion of the remaining leaves. As always, we recommend to aerate.

The recurring theme that we see here is that aeration is key when trying to solve pond problems. In nearly every case, your pond will greatly benefit from the use of Airmax
Aeration. Aeration Systems will help create an environment for aerobic bacteria (like bacteria found in PondClear or MuckAway) to thrive. This aerobic bacteria will decompose organics at accelerated speeds and will help reduce the sediment at the pond’s bottom.

Air adalah senyawa yang paling banyak membentuk tubuh manusia. Fungsinya sangat vital dalam hampir semua proses bio-fisika-kimia dalam badan kita. Seluruh metabolisme tubuh manusia melibatkan air baik secara langsung maupun tidak langsung dalam setiap prosesnya. Mulai dari bernafas, mencerna makanan, membuang kotoran, serta menghasilkan energi untuk kegiatan fisik dan mental. Semua butuh air dalam prosesnya. Bagi manusia asupan air yang memenuhi syarat kesehatan menjadi kebutuhan penting baik secara kualitas maupun kuantitasnya setiap hari.

Sebenarnya air terdapat dalam jumlah yang sangat melimpah di bumi ini. Sekitar dua pertiga permukaan bumi tertutup oleh air. Sayangnya mayoritas terbesarnya terdapat pada lautan dan samudra. Air laut terlalu asin. Mengandung kadar garam yang tinggi. Sehingga mustahil dapat dimanfaatkan secara langsung oleh makhluk daratan.

Hanya ikan-ikan dan tanaman penghuni laut yang bisa memanfaatkan secara langsung untuk kehidupannya. Manusia yang kehausan dan nekat meminum air laut pasti akan merasa bertambah haus. Yang banyak dilakukan adalah mengambil garam dari air laut untuk beragam kegunaan. Antara lain memproses ikan-ikan yang sudah mati menjadi ikan asin

Kira-kira hanya 2,5% saja dari seluruh air yang terdapat di bumi merupakan air tawar. Dari jumlah itu sekitar dua pertiganya terjebak dalam bentuk es di kawasan-kawasan yang bersuhu ekstra dingin. Jadi bisa dibayangkan bahwa jumlah air tawar dalam format cairan yang tersedia dan berpotensi dapat dimanfaatkan jumlahnya sangat terbatas.

Keberadaan air di bumi juga terus berputar dalam satu siklus. Air permukaan dari danau, sungai dan laut menguap menjadi awan. Kemudian dari awan turun hujan berupa air tawar. Ada yang langsung kembali ke laut ada pula yang jatuh ke darat. Tergantung di mana lokasi hujannya.

Air hujan yang jatuh di daratan terbagi lagi menjadi dua. Ada yang disebut disebut ‘green water’ yaitu yang diserap oleh tanaman dan tanah untuk kemudian kembali menguap lagi ke udara. Dan ‘blue water’ yang terkumpul dalam sungai, danau dan yang masuk menembus tanah sehingga menjadi kandungan air tanah.

Sehingga jelas bahwa air tawar berupa ‘blue water’ inilah yang sangat berharga. Supply-nya terbatas dan kuantitasnya tidak menentu karena tergantung proses alam. Sedangkan demand-nya meningkat terus. Terutama dipicu oleh ledakan jumlah penduduk yang semakin bertambah pada hampir semua kawasan di dunia. Dikombinasikan dengan peningkatan kondisi ekonomi, sosial dan budaya. Hasilnya adalah demand air tawar yang di konsumsi secara langsung maupun tidak langsung oleh penduduk dunia cenderung terus meningkat setiap waktu.

‘Blue water’ yang berharga ini menjadi sumber untuk pemenuhan kebutuhan pangan sebagai input untuk kegiatan pertanian,peternakan, perikanan, dan bahan baku produksi air bersih untuk kebutuhan minum dan kegiatan sehari-hari maupun kebutuhan industri. Aneka ragam kepentingan ini semua memperebutkan sumber-sumber air yang sama. Yaitu sungai, danau dan air tanah.

Keberadaan air permukaan di daratan berupa sungai dan danau kuantitasnya tidak menentu. Pada saat musim hujan jumlahnya meningkat. Efek dari penggundulan hutan dan konversi lahan-lahan hijau menjadi ‘hutan’ beton bangunan perumahan dan pembangunan industri yang tidak terkendali adalah banjir.

Begitu banyak air yang tercurah dari hujan menjadi percuma. Tidak dapat dimanfaatkan dan malah menjadi bencana. Air mengalir terlalu deras dan cepat dipermukaan. Kurang banyak yang merembes ke dalam tanah untuk memupuk cadangan air tanah. Sedangkan pada musim kering, jumlah air sungai, danau dan air tanah menyusut drastis bahkan mengering. Sehingga sering menimbulkan krisis pasokan air.

Masih ditambah lagi dengan masalah pencemaran yang menurunkan kualitas air baku di sungai, danau dan air tanah. Berupa pencemaran dari sampah serta limbah perumahan dan industri. Hal ini menyebabkan pengolahan air baku menjadi air bersih semakin sulit, butuh teknologi yang lebih canggih dan berujung pada biaya produksi air bersih yang semakin mahal.

Saat ini sekitar seperlima dari penduduk dunia tidak memiliki akses terhadap air bersih. Jumlahnya setiap saat terus bertambah. Sehingga suka atau tidak suka air tawar apalagi yang telah menjadi air bersih akan menjadi komoditas yang semakin strategis di masa depan.

Di balik setiap krisis tentu saja akan bertabur peluang. Air minum dalam kemasan laku di mana-mana dan mampu berkembang menjadi bisnis besar telah menjadi fenomena global. Di beberapa kawasan dunia, sumber-sumber air baku juga mulai dikelola secara bisnis dengan lebih profesional oleh pihak-pihak yang berwenang.

Masa depan air tawar memang berada di simpang jalan. Dari suatu komoditas hajat hidup orang banyak yang mungkin ‘gratis’ serta bersifat sosial menjadi komoditas ekonomi yang bernilai bisnis semakin tinggi di masa depan. Umat manusia dihadapkan pada tantangan besar yaitu krisis air tawar dan menjelmanya air tawar menjadi komoditas strategis yang bahkan mungkin menjadi sumber konflik kontemporer di masa depan. Sadarkah kita? Mampukah kita menemukan solusi terbaik bagi semua permasalahan tersebut?

In the last post, one of the questions I asked the spa tech with a sludge-like spa water nightmare was “What is your calcium hardness reading?”

A proper test kit should contain a calcium hardness test mechanism.  Calcium hardness tests were once just for swimming pools–but we’ve discovered that it is also important for your backyard hot tub. The reason to test for calcium hardness in pool water is because a low calcium hardness reading is destructive to the pool’s plaster. (Priced plaster replacement lately?  Think second mortgage to pay for the replacement.)

All tap water has variable calcium hardness readings.   In that same seam, low calcium hardness in a hot tub is not only corrosive, but also interferes with disinfection, and low calcium hardness can also cause your water to become foamy.

Spa and pool owners often think that they have a lot of minerals in their water and equate that to calcium hardness.  WRONG.  Calcium hardness is a different measurement apart from total hardness (and that also has little to do with TDS) . 

So, the reason I wanted a calcium hardness reading on this sludgy spa was: 1) to determine the effectiveness of the disinfectant and; 2) to determine if  this was adding to the ‘green sludge’ disaster–in that it could cause the water to foam.

Maintaining your spa’s water can be like maintaining your own skeletal health, but this low-calcium hardness business can destroy your spa or pool’s skeletal well-being.  If your calcium hardness reading is below 250 ppms, then prepare for funky water, and a visit from your spa’s doctor for an expensive repair to the heater, pump seals and possibly more. 

Raise calcium hardness with calcium chloride.  You can pick this up at your local pool and spa store. 

 AP