January 10, 2007 [LINK / comment]

What's in Staunton's water?

That's what Slantblog asked in mocking reference to last week's blogosphere flap, so I thought I would do some objective, empirical research on the matter. I used CLR Enhanced Calcium, Lime & Rust Remover to clean out the mineral scum from our teapot yesterday, and this is the residue after it evaporated. It's about a tablespoon in volume, representing six or so months of buildup. I may want to have this sample tested in a chemistry lab just to be sure what's in there.

On a more serious note, a few months ago the Environmental Protection Agency presented the Region 3 Professional Operator Excellence Award to Christopher J. DeWald, the recently retired head of Staunton's water treatment plant. Region 3 includes Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and Virginia, so this is a noteworthy accomplishment.