Re: Chloramine ??

Chloramine is the result of mixing ammonia and chlorine together.  Yep,
just like you're never supposed to.  East Bay MUD started doing this a
couple years ago.  Their website says it's safe (though it most definately
is not) unless you're allergic to ammonia, in which case you should contact
your doctor.  I am allergic to ammonia.  I fail to see how my doctor can
change my ultility's water treatment <g>.  I'm also chemically sensitive.  

The chloramine treated water made me quite ill.  I only showered in it; I
used bottled water for everything else, including cooking and brushing
teeth.  I couldn't shower every day because I got too sick.  Finally, I got
a shower filter and was safe in the shower again.  About a year ago I got a
whole house water filter so now *every* bit of water I use is filtered,
including watering the garden.  It was worth every penny.

Note that only carbon filters chloramine.  Reverse osmosis will not do it.
This is right from the EBMUD info.  A whole house water filter was about
$600 plus installation by a plumber.  Filters are about $100 every 1-2
years so I don't feel the costs of watering my garden with it are that
significant over the costs of having it for the house.

Okay, well you're wondering about effects on the garden.  Of course never
use it around fish.  It will kill them.  But what about plants?  Since I
couldn't really do controlled experiements and there is no way to know if I
had a bad year, if something was in my soil, etc, I can't say for sure.
Most plants didn't seem to show any difference.

My newly planted avocado abruptly died after being watered with
chloramine-treated tap water, but that was also shortly after applying
fresh manure to a site 4 feet away (we were careful not to get near the
tree but avocados are very salt sensitive).

My annual and treated-as-annual vegetable garden didn't do very well but
that could be the result of diseases, my inability to spend time in the
garden to weed or mulch, snails/slugs, and the fact that my SO constantly
forgets to water and then does a lousey job of it.  I think the chloramine
did have some effect but I can't say for sure.

I consider the stuff dangerous for personal use and would never drink it or
allow my cat to drink it.  I didn't feel good about using it in the garden
but I had little choice before getting the filter.  I don't know what the
effects really were.  Much of my worry was if it would kill off soil
microbes.  Since I am an organic gardener the health of my soil is very
important to me and killing the microbes can seriously affect both the soil
and the plants.

I'm sure some of the pro-chemical folks on this list will tell me I
overreact and that chemicals are safe blah blah blah and demand that I
prove every statement I made.  Well, this is warning that I'm not going
to.  I don't have the time or the energy.  I did the research on my own,
with the help of professional chemist friends (who told me things I never
imagined, like chlormine plus organic matter can create cyanide!), and feel
confident in my statements.  I would share the information gladly but
digging it out and putting it into the form of a post would take hours.  So
either take my word for it or dismiss me as a kook.  Your choice.

Cyndi

_______________________________________________________________________________
Oakland, California            Zone 9 USDA; Zone 16 Sunset Western Garden Guide
Chemically sensitive/disabled - Organic Gardening only by choice and neccessity
_______________________________________________________________________________
"There's nothing wrong with me.  Maybe there's                     Cyndi Norman
something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG)           cyndi@consultclarity.com
                                                         http://www.tikvah.com/
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