The state of Oregon is at the tail end of the most destructive fire season it has ever experienced. Multiple fires began during our dry and windy September, ultimately destroying more than 1 million acres of land, killing at least 11 people, and burning down thousands of homes and other structures.
At Shiloh Water Systems, we are doing our part to help residents in the fire zones to get their personal water systems back up and functioning properly. As a Kinetico dealer, we sell water purification and water filtration systems that can treat just a home’s drinking water or whole-home systems that will filter all of the water that enters the home. With the recent loss of homes and equipment, we are offering no-cost inspections to help with those experiencing water issues and those who need help estimating out equipment for insurance claims. You do not have to be a Kinetico customer to take advantage of this service.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 4,000 homes will need to be cleaned up before the larger debris and ash removal can begin. Household hazardous waste must be properly handled and disposed of, including everyday items like paints, cleaners, solvents, oils, batteries, herbicides, and pesticides. After cleanup crews complete the removal of hazardous waste a completion sign is placed on site. They also inform residents about the hazards posed by debris remaining on the property and precautions residents should take when entering their property.
The EPA is also working hard to protect water quality and sensitive riparian habitats in several watersheds in fire-affected counties. FEMA has tasked EPA with stemming the flow of wildfire debris and hazardous waste into three streams and rivers in the state: Bear Creek, Little North Fork Santiam River and North Fork Santiam River. EPA drinking water engineers are assisting the state of Oregon with evaluation of drinking water systems that draw water from rivers and streams affected by wildfires.
If your home relies on private well water, we will come in before you return home to test the water and make sure it is safe to use. Please call us or email us to coordinate a time for one of our water specialists to come out and make their free assessment.
We also offer 24/7 emergency services that include troubleshooting, repair, and service. You can also count on us for well pumps and pressure/storage tanks.
For those who lost their homes and are working with home builders to replace them, we can help with insurance documentation and specialized well water testing packages for anyone who is returning home and doesn’t know the extent of the damage. We also are working with local builders to ensure that people aren’t being taken advantage of by being directed to only certain companies during the rebuild process.
In some locations, there’s absolutely no water on site, so we are helping provide some water sources with builders. We are rebuilding pump houses quickly for campers, making them a higher priority.
With numerous watersheds impacted by debris and potentially hazardous runoff from the area’s fires, it is more important than ever that homes have a safe way to remove particulates, debris, heavy metals, dissolved solids, bacteria and chemicals from their water. This is our area of expertise, and we have many options that can quickly help provide you with clean drinking water.
Some of the options
After an unexpected event like a fire, it is difficult to get back to some sort of normalcy. After crews remove debris and hazardous materials from the fire zones, it is important to get clean water flowing again to help with the cleanup and to allow homeowners to get back inside their homes. Kinetico offers many different water purification and water softening options. Our most popular product for single-family homes is the Kinetico K5 Drinking Water Station, which is installed directly at the tap and can provide up to 40 gallons of filtered drinking water daily.
The K5 uses reverse osmosis to clean the water coming into your home by forcing your drinking water through a series of filters and a permeable membrane before allowing you to fill your drinking cup at the faucet. The filters can remove a high percentage of dissolved solids, chemicals, metals, minerals, and bacteria from your water, which is even more important now that both municipal drinking water supplies and wells in these fire zones have been contaminated.
The AquaKinetic A200 Drinking Water System by Kinetico provides an economical way to improve the taste and purity of your home’s drinking water. It uses a three-stage system, including a high-capacity filter, high-performance reverse osmosis membrane and carbon postfilter to help eliminate a variety of common contaminants from your drinking water.
Our whole house water systems are designed to clean all of the water coming into your home. They can eliminate cloudy water, rust or blue-green staining and that rotten egg smell. Depending on what contaminants are found in your water, Shiloh can add filters to your whole house system. We offer Arsenic Guard, which will remove arsenic from you water, as well as filters that can remove chloramine, iron, and sulfur.
Our whole house reverse osmosis membrane system will trap contaminants, iron, hardness, and odor-causing impurities without using electricity to do it. Our systems are powered by the force of moving water, which is perfect for use in areas decimated by fire that may still be struggling to get their power back on. Contact Shiloh today and let us help you and your family recover from this devastating fire season. We care about all fire victims and the safety of their drinking water.