About Me
 Visitors have been suggesting for several years that I provide some information about the "person behind the site",
so here goes:  

I have, over the years that my drinking water information site has been active, been asked to provide some personal details by visitors wishing to know how to cite the information in research papers (or simply wanting to know what my credentials are for putting together a drinking water information site):

Randy Johnson, MS, Biology

I have lived most of my life in Littleton, Colorado, a southern suburb of Denver, graduating from Littleton High School, and earning a BA degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO.  I completed a Masters of Science in molecular genetics from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ.  I have taught biology and physical science at the high school and college level.  I currently am employed at the Denver VA Medical Center and provide data analysis, database management, computer support, and quality management reporting for the Cardiac Surgery Team.  

I have always been interested in science, and in understanding how things work, whether it is a radio or the universe.  I was very annoyed a number of years ago when trying to locate useful information on the internet about drinking water and water treatment options.  Most of the information I found was quite exaggerated, very biased, or just plain wrong.  The number of sites containing accurate information about drinking water is far greater today than when I started the site (probably in 97), but there is still a tremendous amount of exaggerated, biased, and just plain wrong information on the web. 

With a solid background in science, research training (both experimental and library), and a strong interest in education and statistics, I decided to distill everything I knew or could find out about drinking water and build my own reference site.  I try to find several reliable sources for everything I publish and then make certain it is consistent with the knowledge I already have.  As I discover new information I try to post it.

I hope you find the information collected on my web sites useful.

Some additional personal information and interests below:

That's me engaged in one of my favorite activities these days - on the risers singing with the men's a cappella chorus I am privileged to be a member of, The Sound of the Rockies out of Denver, Colorado.  Sound of the Rockies is a competitive member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, and this picture
was taken on the International Stage in Montreal, Quebec, July 5, 2003
 where the chorus placed 7th in a field of 20 other district champion
choruses from the United States, Canada, and England.  This  last summer, 2006 the chorus placed 6th at International Competition in Indianapolis, IN.  Excitement is building for the 2007 competition which will be held here in Denver in early July.  Sound of the Rockies is planning to medal this time around.

There are over 800 chapters of the Barbershop Harmony Society in the United States and Canada.  In many cities and towns these chapters, which often consist of an a cappella chorus and several quartets, provide top-quality, family entertainment opportunities in their communities.   I would strongly encourage anyone who loves music to check the BHS listing of chapters, determine if there is a nearby chorus and/or quartet, contact them to find out when/where they will be performing next, and plan to attend a concert.  On a whim, my wife and I attended a SoR concert in November of 2001, and I was so amazed by the sound and energy coming from the stage, that I determined to become a part of the group.  You can read this story at YourHub.com (you may need to register).

 A view of the entire Sound of the Rockies chorus on-stage at the International Competition in Portland, Oregon, July 2002, where the chorus placed 8th.
Listen to the chorus (1.4MB MP3 file)

On a different note:   Besides singing and work - and updating websites, I keep busy with a variety of activities and interests which include:

Astronomy and cosmology - I am fascinated by the universe we inhabit, and periodically, on dark nights (which are sadly becoming rarer as light pollution increases), I drag my telescope out to look at the planets and an assortment of deep space objects.  I can only marvel at the images that the Hubble Space Telescope has brought to the world.  
One of the most amazing events I have witnessed was watching the 2001 Leonid meteor storm for several hours after midnight with my family as "shooting stars" rained down out of a dark, clear sky at an incredible rate! Took a lot of neat pictures - and later discovered I had forgotten to load my camera.

Geology and amateur rock and mineral collecting - Living in Colorado provides some fun locations for mineral and fossil collecting with my wife and son.  We spent one afternoon, for example, collecting calcite crystals and chipping plain opal out of a hill near Grand Junction.

Gardening - Although the recent drought has put a crimp in this activity, I enjoy growing, harvesting, cooking and eating the produce of my garden.

Novice Vintner - An attempt ten years ago to brew wine from concord grapes picked in a neighbor's yard effectively killed any desire to repeat the experience - - - until recently.  My wife and I enjoy a good bottle of wine and we just (4/07) decided to try several of the varietal wine kits on the market - started with a Cabernet Sauvignon (which will take several years to mature) and will soon start brewing a Chardonnay (because we can't wait several years to begin drinking the fruits of our labor). 

Web and graphics design - I put this water site together, and I help with creating and managing the Sound of the Rockies' web site and developed a series of web pages to promote my Dad's new book, A Thread of Gold, a historical- fiction adventure novel about the search for a lost gold bonanza in the the Colorado Rockies, which is scheduled to be published in summer 2005..  

Cooking - My wife and I enjoy, when time allows, digging into the spice rack and creating culinary masterpieces.  We just processed 50 pounds of chokecherries we collected along the nearby Highline Canal (Aug 03) for making jelly, and perhaps some wine.

Photography - It's a fun challenge to capture the nuances of a moment in time and place on a piece of film - or more recently digitally encoded - and try to create a beautiful image out of light, shadow, form, and color.

Folk singing and guitar playing - I have been singing and playing the guitar since high school.  My old guitar has been a good companion over the years at home, off at school, and on camping trips.

Reading and collecting antique books & magazines - Nothing beats curling up after a long day (or before a long day, for that matter) with a good mystery or Sci-Fi book. 

Yours in Harmony

Randy Johnson