acid rain and catchment thread

[terracore]

I know there is information about this scattered among other threads but I think a consolidated gateway for information makes more sense.

I measured the pH of our catchment water (from the kitchen spigot) with a digital pH meter. One of the better ones that have to be calibrated using multiple solutions before use, rinsed with distilled water, etc.

It was 5.46. According to the EPA web site: normal, clean rain has a pH of 5.0-5.5.

We have been getting some rain when the air has been bad, but I would estimate that majority of the rain in our catchment tank was harvested pre-2018 eruption. (Location, upper Orchidland).

I tried to get a sample of today's rain, but due to our mosquito eradication efforts, we don't have any standing water. I'll set something else up later. Besides, our air has been really clear today and might not give significant data.

https://www3.epa.gov/acidrain/education/...scale.html

ETA: Proactive: Can we keep the acid rain farming/gardening info in that forum?

[Justin]

I read in a couple places that if you want to raise the pH most economically, Sodium Carbonate (as opposed to Bicarbonate) works best. Sodium Bicorbonate is baking soda and easy to get a hold of. Sodium Carbonate is harder to find, but I bet somewhere in Hilo has it. Regarding sulfur in the water, it’s not as bad as I thought, and in fact people go out of their way to bathe in it - go figure.

[terracore]

Surprisingly, the rain water captured in the last 48 hours reads a pH of 6.66. We have also had no rain come down with bad air in that time.

[kalianna]

We've had ours tarped and disconnected except for brief reconnects to replenish during clean rains/gutters. Ph is still crazy acid. Have put in 6 boxes of sobicard. over the last four weeks.

[leilanidude]

My one car, simply sitting in the carport in lower Leilani, now has rust on all of the stainless steel trim parts on the outside. Can't get the car out due to lava and giant cracks blocking all the roads.

[randomq]

Biological life is amazing, surviving where steel rusts and lumber rots. Maybe some day all of our technology will be made of self-replicating and repairing cells.

[terracore]

We had some particularly nasty smelling air and rain just come down. We got a glass container out in time to gather enough to test. pH was 3.03. After, I tested the meter using a calibrant solution of 4.0 and the meter reading was about 4.1, so probably within the +/- of the device's capabilities but also weighing on the side that if anything the pH could actually be lower than 3.03.

According to the EPA web site, "normal" acid rain is 4.0 (the acidity is 10x normal rain). If anybody knows how rain of 3.0 translates, I'd be happy to know.

What precipitated the test was the wife reporting a slight burning sensation on the skin while out feeding the animals in the rain.

ETA: for clarification purposes only

Location: Upper Orchidland.

[leilanidude]

What precipitated the test was the wife reporting a slight burning sensation on the skin while out feeding the animals in the rain.
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Any indication that the animals are having issues with the acid rain?

[dayna]

The animals are almost 100% choosing to be under cover, so I would think they're not liking this rain. Other than keeping them under cover and feeding them extra feed, I'm just not sure what to do.

Like terracore mentioned I was feeling burning on my arms, I think it might have been peles hair and the rain combined. I put on a long sleeved shirt and hat after rinsing my arms and it felt a lot better.

Dayna

www.E-Z-Caps.com

[terracore]

We are much more worried about Pele's hair and our grazing animals.

We have had some ornamentals suddenly drop flowers and get leaf problems after some rains, but others like our citrus seem to love it.

Our animals get our catchment water which so far doesn't read as acidic. The state vet recommends free-feeding grazers calcium carbonate right now.