Acid Water Remedies

~ This article first appeared in The Leader-Vindicator newspaper. ~

There is a pretty little stream defining the exact bottom of the valley in which I’m currently grazing my cattle.  As is the case in much of our region, the water is running away from old strip mining operations which ceased decades ago.  Vegetation has returned from the stream bank to the tops of the hills, a striking example of the remarkable revival of life that is so characteristic of nature.

Close observation of the water shows little sign of pollution.  There isn’t the near-ubiquitous red iron slime coating every rock and stick touched by the flow, so the water makes an impression on passersby: It looks clean.  Alas, I have found no life in it.

Clean running water is a tempting lure for me and my herd.  Without it I’m hauling tons of the liquid long distances from ponds to the cattle, a time consuming chore that puts hours on the tractor while I pick my way along narrow paths.  If clean water is close, I can save time and leverage a resource by pumping the stuff up to a trough for the animals.

My wife got me a handheld pH tester and TDS (total dissolved solids) meter as a gift.  With the tools I’ve been slowly mapping the water quality throughout our watershed.  As is my custom, I filled sanitary containers from the stream so I could test the water at home.  The results were surprising for two reasons.

First, the pH is astonishingly acidic: 3.4-3.6.  Second, the TDS is very low, coming in at around 190ppm (less than 300ppm is considered excellent quality).  Something odd is at work here, as a low pH often correlates with a high TDS due to the corrosive nature of acidic water.

A study of the physical environment may reveal the answers to water purity.  Just upstream from my testing location is a large, wide swamp filled with heavy moss and cattails.  Here the water slows to a crawl for hundreds of feet, oozing through the filter from one pool to the next before funneling back together and regaining proper form on the other side.  I surmise that the swamp is nature’s Brita.

pH is still a problem.  Acidic water will destroy the world inside a cow’s rumen, killing bacteria and rendering the organ unable to digest all of the forage she collects in a day.  I decided at home to try an experiment, adding 1 teaspoon of baking soda (a quantity I chose completely at random) to the approximately 1 cup of water I had tested.  The baking soda immediately brought pH up four points: 7.4, or nearly perfect.  As expected, TDS rose with the addition of soda, from 190ppm to about 1020. 

I will need to research the effect of baking soda solutions on rumen bacteria; if there is none, then here is a readily available solution for acidic livestock water.  Research indicates that about 2 tablespoons per gallon are recommended to moderate pH.

After concluding my basic experiments I decided this idea might be worth chasing, so I called a friend’s dad who has a lifetime of experience perfecting environmental cleanup.  He agreed that if my tests aren’t completely out of whack, which I admit they well may be, this water can be returned to life. 

The first step is to build on my conclusions with a real water quality test.  Expert testing will tell me what is in the water, just in case that little bit of dissolved solid is something horrendous that will cause harm no matter what the treatment.

Assuming the tests come back relatively clear, we can develop a simple plan to affect the flowing water in a positive manner.  It’s not as simple as dumping limestone in the creekbed, therefore allowing the corrosive water to attack and release its own remedy.  If oxygen is present, then iron will immediately coat and seal off the limestone, rendering it useless in a very short time.  Instead, a deep hole can be dug in the bottom of the stream and limestone submersed in the hole.  Water must flow without aerating agitation across the embedded limestone in order to erode the stone and increase pH levels.

As is the custom of technology, right at the moment Doug was explaining the invigorating details of creek redemption his cell phone cut out and I missed some of the description.  I didn’t have the heart to ask him to repeat himself; the guy was already taking time away from work to talk to me.  When I get my official tests back we can revisit the conversation and move forward if necessary.  I can’t wait.

I feel driven to pursue the clean-up project not only for my shortsighted benefit, but also for the satisfaction of setting something right.  The act makes me feel as though I belong more firmly to the land, not as a caretaker but as a physical part of it.  Even if nobody notices, the result of my curiosity will remain in that fine valley underneath towering Larch trees for whatever life may need a drink.  For now I’ll follow the idea with herd in tow, creating sustenance for proximate people who care about where they live.  My goodness, what a fine life to live.