# Pewter found in fresh water source



## AUprepster (Jun 12, 2013)

Hey guys,
I have a question for you regarding water safety. We are looking at buying some land which has a year round fresh water creek running through it and 2 ponds. The seller said the creek was tested by the State Water Department and it had Pewter in it but he said it was safe to drink. I am a little leery about it. We are looking at this land for homesteading without Electricity or public water.

Do any of you guys know much about the safety of Pewter water? How it affects washing your clothes? Human consumption ok? etc. I did not notice any foul odor like water that is heavy in Iron. 

Thanks in advance!

AUprepster


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

Pewter, in a creek? Never heard of that. Pewter is an alloy of Tin and Lead, so I'd be wanting to see the report of to have it checked myself.


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## AUprepster (Jun 12, 2013)

Yes in the creek and it looks like the two ponds as well. Has a milky look to it. 

There is also coal just laying around everywhere so I don't know if it has anything to do with that or not.


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

Do you have a copy of the water test report?

If so, PM it to me, i am willing to take a look at it for you.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Take a sample of the water and have it tested yourself. The cost would be well worth it.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Like others have mentioned, I would seriously doubt that information. First of all, pewter can mean many different things, it contains tin but may or may not contain lead, antimony, copper and bismuth. What would be the purpose of a lab report showing "pewter" really be if you don't know the elements involved. Second of all, pewter is a man-made alloy so how would it get there, very concerning but I really doubt pewter is the issue. Good luck with the property hunt, like others said though, do your own test.


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> Like others have mentioned, I would seriously doubt that information. First of all, pewter can mean many different things, it contains tin but may or may not contain lead, antimony, copper and bismuth. What would be the purpose of a lab report showing "pewter" really be if you don't know the elements involved. Second of all, pewter is a man-made alloy so how would it get there, very concerning but I really doubt pewter is the issue. Good luck with the property hunt, like others said though, do your own test.


The sheet wouldnt show "pewter" but its components.
My educated guess is that someone tried to "laymanize" the results.
Happens all the time.

Thats why its important to look at the actual analysis sheet and compare the listed minerals ot the EPA guidelines.

keep in mind whit todays technology we can detect some seriously minute and trivial amounts of stuff.

heck in trace amounts you can ingest ANYTHING with no ill effect because of the body's repair mechanisms.

And EPA standards for public consumption are so low that we have started to exclude some pretty viable water sources in this country.

My sentiment is that those EPA standards will be revised upward as water shortages mount in the next few years/deacades.


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## AUprepster (Jun 12, 2013)

Guys I appreciate all the info. I will definitely get my own tests ran.


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## NSAdataCollector (Dec 29, 2013)

Probably some guy's way of trying to downplay the lead content. "Let's call it pewter." Most people aren't scared of pewter cuz they don't realize it contains lead.

===== ===== ===== ===== =====
This name is in jest. I do NOT work for the NSA or any law enforcement agency but you should assume this site is being monitored like everything else. Remember: You have the right to remain silent. Everything you have ever said will be taken out of context, linked improperly & used against you.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

NSAdataCollector said:


> Probably some guy's way of trying to downplay the lead content. "Let's call it pewter." Most people aren't scared of pewter 'cuz they don't realize it contains lead.


My first thoughts exactly.

Is this an abandoned mining area? (coal just laying everywhere?!?)

If so, ANYTHING could be in that area!


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

NSAdataCollector said:


> Probably some guy's way of trying to downplay the lead content. "Let's call it pewter." Most people aren't scared of pewter cuz they don't realize it contains lead.
> 
> ===== ===== ===== ===== =====
> This name is in jest. I do NOT work for the NSA or any law enforcement agency but you should assume this site is being monitored like everything else. Remember: You have the right to remain silent. Everything you have ever said will be taken out of context, linked improperly & used against you.


Not a bad guess.

Still we have to see the actual results to know if it means anything.
In some trace concentartion lead and aresenic etc are in nearly all freshwater
Its just matter of how much....


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## dirtgrrl (Jun 5, 2011)

The EPA standard for arsenic is 10 ppb (yes, parts per billion), which was changed several years ago from 50 ppb. My well contains 20 ppb which I filter out for drinking by reverse osmosis. However, 20 ppb is fine for other uses, including bathing, laundry, livestock watering and irrigation. The water in my area is known for its arsenic content so I investigated this thoroughly before I bought. At this level I'd probably just drink it myself, but my kids and grandkids visit enough that I don't want them drinking the well water without filtering.

RO won't grab everything, and if you have extremely high amounts of metals you'll need a two-stage process. Also, high levels will travel up through the food chain through crop irrigation and livestock watering if you're not careful. For example, grasses will use arsenic in place of silicon (used to stiffen the grass stalk) in areas where arsenic levels are high in the soil. Grazing animals ingest grass with arsenic, and you ingest the animals. Most of our staple crops like corn, wheat, barley, rice, and oats were bred from grasses which will pull and use arsenic the same way. 

Our RO unit cost a couple hundred bucks and was easy to install and supplies plenty for daily cooking and drinking needs. Don't rely on a sales pitch to determine if a particular treatment is suitable for your situation. Ask to see the original water test or if you're serious about the place get one yourself. Take it to the county ag coop extension service and get their advice before you make an offer or make the offer contingent on results which you have defined yourself. 

BlueZ and others are right. Heavy metals are everywhere, but you have to make your own informed risk assessments.


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## AUprepster (Jun 12, 2013)

Great info guys. The creek that runs through it is actually called Pewter Creek. It has never been mined but there is actually chunks of coal just laying on top of the ground.


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## InWyo (Sep 29, 2010)

So maybe the guy was relating that the ponds had Pewter Creek running through them or something like that. That in itself probably would be no problem. Go figure! Buyer beware always, do your own tests. Then you know where the water you are testing came from.


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