Drinking Water and its Source
Are you one of the many Americans spending more time working from home? Now that you don't have access to the water cooler at work, do you realize that the water you're drinking at home is not as good as what you had in the office? The water in your home can come from a variety of sources and it's important to know where it is coming from and what it may contain to get the best tasting water from your tap. Characteristics like taste, color, odor, or signs of staining on fixtures and clothes can signal some common water quality problems.
City Water
While municipal water systems are required to follow standards set by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), it doesn’t mean that your water will taste good or that all impurities have been filtered out. It can still contain some amount of minerals, impurities, and other contaminants not regulated by the EPA. Chances are it can smell like a swimming pool from disinfectants such as chlorine, used to keep your water safe from germs as it travels from the treatment facility to your home. Once the water has made it through the city’s pipes, this sterilizing chemical is no longer needed, and you certainly don’t have to drink it!
While the presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate a health risk, some other possible city-related contaminants, like lead from older infrastructures, may be harmful if consumed at certain levels. Lead is often tasteless and odorless, but high amounts can give your water a metallic taste.
Homes with city water must be notified when contaminants that could cause illness or other problems are discovered. Cities will also provide a complete report once per year, known as the Consumer Confidence Report, that contains information on contaminants, health effects, and the source of the water. Your water utility company can furnish this report upon request. Many municipalities also host their annual CCR online and accessed through a handy tool published by the EPA.
Private Well Water
Unlike homes that have water provided by a municipal water system, private well owners are responsible for ensuring their own drinking water is safe since their water is not regulated. Routine testing for the most common contaminants is recommended once per year, even if your water supply was deemed safe in the past. Water that fills your well is constantly changing based on the environment around it. Even if you used to enjoy the taste of the water in your home over the years, it can change over time into something you don’t enjoy today. Having this record of annual water quality for your home can be helpful to keep an eye on its current conditions or to have on-hand if future problems arise.
Some county health departments will help you test for bacteria or nitrates, but if that resource is not available, you can have your water tested by a state-certified laboratory. Most labs will supply their own sample containers and instructions for testing to ensure the sample is not contaminated during the collection process. Samples for bacteria must be collected using sterile containers, and other testing procedures require that water runs from an outside tap for several minutes before filling the sample container.
Taking the Next Step to Good Clean Drinking Water
Once you have an idea of what your water quality is like, you can work with your local Evolve dealer to pinpoint which type of filtration, softener, or reverse osmosis system you may need to remove contaminants in your water supply to get the best drinking water possible for your family.
While a softener is a great start to higher quality water, the taste of your water can still be affected by contaminants that a softener cannot remove.
Like the office, you could go out and invest in a water cooler for your home, but recent events have proven that bottled water is not always readily available or the best choice for your family. Plus, it can be expensive and wasteful. A safe, green, and cost-effective solution is to invest in an Evolve reverse osmosis drinking water system. Reverse osmosis uses a combination of carbon block filters and a permeable membrane to reduce contaminants from the water. Evolve has reverse osmosis drinking water systems that are tested and certified for the reduction of:
- Lead
- Arsenic
- Copper
- Nitrates and nitrites
- Fluoride
- Chromium (Hexavalent & Trivalent)
- Selenium
- Radium
- Barium
- Cadmium
- Cryptosporidium
- TDS
With a reverse osmosis system, your family will get the healthy water they deserve right from the tap for cooking, drinking, and more. Get more information on how these systems work at EvolveSeries.com.