SDWF is urgently in need of donors. Every penny and every drop counts!
Unfortunately, all of the funding for Operation Water Drop and Operation Water Pollution kits through the Green Street website has been used. Many teachers are on the waiting list for sponsored Operation Water Drop and Operation Water Pollution kits. If you would like to use the Operation Water Drop and/or Operation Water Pollution program in your classroom and need a sponsored kit please e-mail the following information to info@safewater.org: your school's name, complete mailing address, what type(s) of kits and how many of each type of kit you would like. We will add your school to the growing waiting list.
Canadian Teachers are Waiting for Over 1300 Sponsored Kits to be Sent to their Schools
Canadian teachers are currently waiting for over 1300 sponsored Operation Water Drop and Operation Water Pollution kits to be sent to their schools. Individuals and companies can sponsor kits for schools. If you/your company sponsors kits, you/your company will be acknowledged in the letter that accompanies the kit. You can even decide in which geographic area your kits will be dispersed. Please e-mail info@safewater.org if you would like to sponsor Operation Water Drop and/or Operation Water Pollution kits or if you would like more information.
View Previous Webinars!
To view the recordings of previous webinars please click here. For more information about our webinars and/or to register for webinars click here.
Thanks to our sponsors!
SM Blair Foundation
A big thank you to all of our anonymous donors as well.
Reverse Osmosis units selected by the SDWF are extremely efficient at producing safe drinking water and are now available to SDWF members! Easy to follow instructions, accompanied by photos and diagrams, make the RO units easy to install without the need of a plumber. If you have a dwelling with many people (ten or more), or extremely low water pressure, then an RO unit with a pump is recommended and is available upon request.
Explanation of the RO Process
Reverse osmosis (RO) is an extremely effective form of filtration. RO filters are able to remove both chemical and particulate (microbes for example) contaminants. An RO filter is a semi-permeable membrane with pores that are up to 30, 000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, allowing only pure water to pass through. RO systems are even used by the military to make poor quality water drinkable. However, RO systems should not be used on water that is contaminated by wastewater. If you are using the RO unit on rural water sources (individual wells, etc.) a good way to test for such contamination is to measure E. coli and coliform bacteria before the water is chlorinated. Chlorination may kill the coliforms, but other disease-causing microbes may not be killed by the chlorine and such water should not be used for consumption even with an RO unit.
The SDWF provides a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) tester with any RO unit sold. You should test the raw water (from the regular tap) and record your results; then test your treated (RO) water and record your results. The TDS of the RO water should be less than 10% of the raw water. Monitoring the TDS of the RO water is very important because if it goes up drastically (more than double) it may be time to change the RO membrane. For more information read SDWF Fact Sheet on Reverse Osmosis
A properly operating RO membrane will produce drinking water with a low pH, typically below a pH of 6.0. A pH of 6.0 is not a health issue as lemon juice and/or grapefruit juice have much lower pH levels. Because the RO process removes nearly all the particles in the tap water, calcium and magnesium need to be re-entered into the water; calcium and magnesium have many health benefits. To increase the calcium and magnesium levels in the RO water, the SDWF sells a calcium and magnesium mineral supplement. This supplement can be put in a container and the container can then be filled with RO water. The calcium magnesium product will settle at the base of the container of the RO water, it can be refilled with RO water hundreds of times. The correct pH for drinking this water containing calcium and magnesium should be no higher than 9.5. The starter kit for this includes 1 kg of NSF certified calcium + magnesium mineral mix for $20 + shipping. Additional 1 kg calcium and magnesium mixes are $15 + shipping. For more information read Calcium Magnesium Mineral Supplement Sheet.
Order Form
The SDWF "approved" RO unit is available to SDWF members for just $295. This includes a TDS meter to monitor the quality of your drinking water which indicates when the membranes should be changed.
Mail a cheque or money order together with your order form to: The Safe Drinking Water Foundation, #1-912 Idylwyld Drive North, Saskatoon, SK S7L 0Z6
Fax your order form together with your Visa number to 306-934-5289
E-mail - scan the order form, or save as an attachment, include your Visa number and e-mail to info@safewater.org
* We will try our best to confirm orders within 24 hours and orders will be shipped by Canada Post
AAWTT is a team of volunteer participants dedicated to the advancement of water treatment processes on aboriginal reservations in Canada. Team members will help each other resolve water treatment problems when using advanced water treatment processes. The team is supported by one groundwater laboratory located at Gordon’s FN, Saskatchewan (almost completed), and one surface water laboratory (paid for by band funds) located at Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Alberta. At these two locations R&D into advanced water treatment processes is carried out on a daily basis. Both laboratories are integrated with the regular operation of advanced water treatment processes. Each plant will also become part of the bigger picture where improvements are being documented and shared with other participants.
Operation Water Drop:
Operation Water Drop (OWD) is the Safe Drinking Water Foundation’s longest standing education program! Elementary kits allow teachers to demonstrate to students how to test their community drinking water for 8 parameters included in the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. High school kits allow students to conduct hands-on tests for 13 different parameters and compare their results to other urban and rural treated drinking water supplies, a raw source water sample and Canadian guidelines vs. U.S. and EU regulations. OWD is also available in French. The DVD “Downstream” is included in every OWD kit!
Operation Water Pollution:
Operation Water Pollution (OWP) can be taught in science and social studies, OWP kits educate students about the various forms of water pollution, how water pollution affects the world, how it is cleaned up, and what they can do to help. Digital TDS and pH meters are included in the kit and students learn why they are important factors to be monitored and why they should be kept at appropriate levels. OWP is also available in French. The DVD “Crapshoot” is included in every OWP kit!
Operation Water Flow:
Operation Water Flow (OWF) gives students a greater understanding of economic, social and environmental concerns surrounding water issues in Canada. Operation Water Flow can be taught in math, biology, chemistry, science and social studies. Each of the lessons lead naturally into the many other programs now available from the Safe Drinking Water Foundation. OWF is also available in French.
Operation Water Spirit:
Operation Water Spirit (OWS) supports and encourages a greater understanding of Aboriginal culture and beliefs related to water issues. A teacher resource has been added to encourage and support teachers in introducing Aboriginal culture into their classrooms and a session on Aboriginal identity which is very compelling has also been added. There are many stories included for each grade level and the stories are now available in Cree in both written and audio versions.
Operation Water Health:
Operation Water Health (OWH) provides an opportunity to investigate health issues such as waterborne illnesses and contaminated water, and encourages students to do their part to “make a difference”. OWH is also available in French.
COMING SOON!
Operation Water Biology:
Operation Water Biology (OWB) includes hands-on experiments and activities that demonstrate many of the principles of the water treatment process to students. It begins with the way that different chemicals are used and dealt with by conventional treatment facilities and proceeds to show new and interesting ways that natural biological processes can be used to produce exceptionally pure water while minimizing chemical use and environmental impacts.
Operation Community Water Footprint:
Operation Community Water Footprint (OCWF) allows students to analyze how efficient the process of converting fresh water to treated drinking water is in their communities. Then, they can “place their community on the map” on the Safe Drinking Water Foundation’s website (www.safewater.org) and compare their community’s water footprint to that of other communities and take action if their community’s water footprint is too large.
A donation of only $3.00 from each person who visits would help to ensure the delivery of our popular education programs OWD, OWP, OWF, OWS, OWH, OWB and OCWF to teachers across Canada. Currently, Canadian teachers are waiting for over 1300 sponsored Operation Water Drop and Operation Water Pollution kits to be sent to them. Donations will also allow our AAWTT to make it possible for water treatment plants in First Nation communities to produce safer drinking water.
Individual members will receive their choice of the DVD "Downstream" or the DVD "Crapshoot". If individual members provide a donation of $20.00 or more in addition to the minimum $20.00 amount then they will receive both the DVD "Downstream" and the DVD "Crapshoot".
Community and Corporate members will receive both the DVD "Downstream" and the DVD "Crapshoot".
Thanks to our corporate sponsors:
SM Blair Foundation
* We are non-profit, non-governmental, registered Canadian charity #868384892 and we issue official receipts for income tax purposes for donations of $10.00 or more.
Reverse Osmosis
