Water Facts You Should Know
Water is necessary for life, yet it’s something we take for granted every day. Only 3% of all of earth’s water is freshwater, with 2.5% of that freshwater being unavailable. Our drinking water primarily comes from groundwater or surface water. The water you receive in your home comes from either a community water system or a private well.
One key thing to note about the water you drink is that it can easily become contaminated with many things that can make you sick. Contaminated water is a serious threat and can cause a variety of health problems, including gastrointestinal issues, reproductive issues, and neurological disorders. The good news is that there are ways you can protect yourself and your family from contaminated water. The first step is to contact us for a free water quality test to determine what contaminants exist in your water and learn how to remove them before they reach your tap.
Potential Sources of Water Contamination
There are many sources of contamination or pollution for the water you drink. Contaminants can come from a variety of places, including:
- Animal waste
- Fertilizers
- Pesticides
- Herbicides
- Industrial waste
- Illegal dumping
- Natural processes
Unfortunately, these can lead to many different types of contaminants in your water, including bacteria, parasites, viruses, heavy metals, and chemicals.
Who Regulates Water Quality?
In community water systems, water quality is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA sets standards for types and limits on contaminants in the water from your tap. This means that all community water systems must treat the water to remove certain contaminants from the water for public safety.
However, it’s also important to note that the EPA has allowable limits for many toxic contaminants, including heavy metals like lead and arsenic, chlorine, asbestos, and chromium. These allowable levels are considered safe by the EPA but could be harmful to vulnerable populations. Also, those contaminants can also affect the water’s smell and taste.
Unfortunately, there are many violations by community water systems every year. Violations happen for many reasons, including aging infrastructure, breaks in water treatment lines, and other issues. This means the water you drink could have higher levels of contaminants than the EPA allows without you knowing.
Private well water also needs treatment for harmful contaminants. However, unlike with community water systems, if you have a private well, you’re solely responsible for making sure the water is healthy and clean. There’s no one regulating your well water, so it’s all on you to ensure you have the proper water conditioning systems.
How Can You Protect Your Family From Water Impurities?
No matter the contaminants you’re worried about or where your water comes from, there are steps you can take to keep your water clean for the whole family. Water conditioning systems remove many of the impurities that affect the quality and safety of your water.
With water softening systems, you can remove hard minerals that aren’t generally bad for you, but can wreak havoc on your home, appliances, and plumbing. Softening water makes it easier for soaps to work and prevents limescale buildup in your pipes and appliances so they can last longer.
For water quality contaminants like chlorine, metals, and other concerning impurities, water filtration systems can remove these so you can always trust your tap water. Water filtration and purification systems trap harmful contaminants so you never have to worry about what’s in your water.
Protect yourself and your family today from water quality issues by scheduling a free water test with our experts.