By Jake Navarro
SAN JOSE, CALIF– Every day, many Silver Creek High School students refuse to use the water fountains because they are uncertain if they are safe.
Student Aiden Boyd refuses to use the water fountains since, “they’re nasty, disgusting, moldy and gross.” However, there is no evidence that shows that the water itself is actually unsafe, so I will be going to find the truth.
With the help of English teacher Thomas Head, I was able to check the ppm levels of the water. The TDS tester tests the total dissolved solids in ppm or “parts per million.” Water with ppm levels closer to zero are the purest. Though, you’d usually want levels around 50 – 150 ppm, but 151 – 300 ppm are also still safe. This is because if water is too pure, around 10 – 50 ppm, it is not healthy since you are missing out on a lot of necessary essential minerals.
Here are the results for each station:
| Fountain | Parts per million (ppm) |
| Gym | 144 ppm |
| Near C-building | 168 ppm |
| U-building – left fountain | 93 ppm |
| U-building – right fountain | 151 ppm |
| Near X-quad – left fountain | 188 ppm |
| Near X-quad – right fountain | 156 ppm |
| K-building refill station | 97 ppm |
| Weight room refill station | 103 ppm |
Something to note is that when the fountain first starts, the ppm peaks. If you want the best water, you should wait for the initial stream to pass, but it’s completely fine not to.
So although many at SCHS are skeptical about the safety of the water, the results show that it is actually in perfect condition to drink.
Water fountains have increased in quality but have decreased in demand over the years. When Head attended school he said, “The water came out so bubbly it looked white when you filled your bottle.” So now that the water is proven to be safe, will you be drinking from the fountains, Raiders?
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