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Last Revised: 12/26/2024
When was the last time you thought about the safety of your tap water? We drink it, cook with it, and use it every day without a second thought – but how can we be sure it’s truly safe?
The reality is that our home’s water supply could possibly contain a range of hidden contaminants, from bacteria and chemicals to heavy metals. Many of these are invisible to the senses but can harm our health.
Some may be asking this question after noticing a strange taste or smell, and others may be concerned since they’ve never given it a second thought. Regardless of your home’s situation, understanding what’s in your water supply is crucial.
At Mattioni, we provide homeowners with water treatment and water conditioning systems designed to restore the quality of their water supply. We’re here to share our expertise in this area with anyone looking to secure the health of their water.
In this article, we’ll explore what makes water safe or unsafe to drink, the key differences between city water and well water, and the steps you can take to test, filter, and maintain your water supply. After reading this article, you’ll have the knowledge and tools to ensure your water is as safe and clean as it should be.
Let’s start with the basics – what exactly is the difference between safe and unsafe drinking water?
What Defines Safe Drinking Water?
Safe drinking water is free from harmful contaminants such as bacteria, heavy metals, and chemicals. City water (public) is treated and regulated to meet safety standards; however no system is perfect.
Pollutants from corroded pipes, natural disasters, poor wastewater management, or industrial activities can infiltrate public water systems and accumulate in your home’s water supply. If they reach high enough levels, your home’s tap water may not be safe to drink.
Those with well water (private) are responsible for ensuring the safety of their own water. While well water is often praised for its natural taste and lack of additives, it requires regular testing and maintenance to ensure it remains safe to drink.
Your water’s safety, its testing process, and steps to improve its quality will depend on where it comes from. Let’s take a closer look at the key differences between the two: city water and well water.
City Water vs Well Water: What’s the Difference?
The source of your water plays a significant role in determining how safe it is to drink, and the necessary steps to ensure its quality. City and well water each come with their own distinct characteristics, benefits, and risks.
City Water
City water is sourced from lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or groundwater, and undergoes a rigorous testing and treatment process at municipal plants. Before reaching your home, city water is treated by filtration, disinfection with chlorine or chloramine, and the addition of substances like fluoride for dental health.
The treatment process must meet safety standards and is enforced by the EPA; however, contamination of public water can still occur. Aging infrastructure can compromise its safety, and despite strict government regulations, pollutants may still accumulate. While it does go through a series of serious treatment steps and is generally drinkable, city water should be viewed with a healthy level of skepticism. If your home relies on city water, be sure to keep an eye on any public water advisories.
Before we look further at testing city water, let’s explore well water, for those who utilize a private water supply.
Well Water
Well water comes directly from underground aquifers (plentiful collections of groundwater) and is accessed through a private well on your property. Unlike city water, it isn’t treated or monitored by any government agency. You’re entirely responsible for ensuring its safety and drinkability, which brings its own advantages and disadvantages.
Private wells are susceptible to contamination from a few sources, including runoff and mineral deposits. Seasonal changes like heavy rains or droughts can also impact the quality of well water by washing contaminants into the groundwater or reducing the availability of fresh water.
Neglecting the safety of private well water can lead to the accumulation of bacteria, nitrates, and other pollutants over time. Knowing the signs of compromised well water can be crucial in keeping your home safe and healthy.
For both city and well water, understanding its safety starts and when to test it starts with awareness of its quality and potential risks.
Signs Your Water May Not Be Safe
Water contamination often reveals itself through noticeable changes. A metallic taste or a strong chlorine smell could point to an excess of chemicals during the treatment process. Cloudy water or discoloration might indicate sediment, rusty pipes, or another contamination.
But water quality is a spectrum of conditions; one that ranges from fully healthy to minor contamination to completely unsafe to drink. Harmful contaminants include biological (waterborne diseases), chemical (pesticides, arsenic), or physical (sediment, rust), so you can see how the severity of poor water quality can vary significantly.
Likewise, there is a wide variety of short-term and long-term health effects from drinking unsafe water.
There may be obvious signs that can signal a water quality problem, but they don’t always tell the full story as many contaminants can’t be seen or tasted. Testing your water is the only definitive way to know if it’s safe to drink.
Testing Your Water for Contaminants
Home testing kits are a quick, effective, and affordable way to check for the most common contaminants such as pH imbalances, chlorine levels, bacteria, and basic metals. These kits are user-friendly and a good starting point for identifying water quality issues that can gauge the quality of your water.
If a home testing kit indicates an issue with your tap water, you may want to have a deeper analysis conducted regardless of whether it’s public or private. A professional plumber can conduct a more thorough test on your water, providing a more robust examination of complex contaminants. A lab test provides a detailed report of your overall water quality that’ll determine what next steps you’ll need to take.
What to Do If Your Water Isn’t Safe
If tests reveal harmful contaminants in your tap water, don’t panic – there are solutions. For the short term, boiling your water can neutralize bacteria and viruses. Drinking bottled water is another temporary option, although it’s not a sustainable or cost-effective long-term fix.
What’ll get your home back up and running with a safe, reliable water supply is installing a water treatment system tailored to your specific needs. For example, a carbon filter may be a practical next step. If testing shows more serious contamination, investing in a reverse osmosis or multi-stage filtration system can provide comprehensive protection.
For private well owners, routine maintenance and proper well sealing are also crucial to treating and preventing contamination. No matter how severe your water contamination may be, there are systems available that will eradicate any chemicals, particles, and pollutants – making your water completely safe to drink.
Water Treatment & Conditioning Systems
Water treatment and conditioning systems offer tailored solutions for improving different types of water quality issues and enhancing safety. Whether you’re dealing with hard water, chemical pollutants, or biological contaminants, there’s a system that can meet your needs and provide clean, reliable water for your home.
Water Filtration Systems
Filtration systems are designed to remove specific contaminants from water, such as chlorine, sediments, and some chemicals. These systems use physical barriers, chemical processes, or biological mechanisms to purify water.
Carbon filters are excellent for removing chlorine, lead, and nitrates, which improves taste and reduces odors. Sediment filters trap particles like rust and debris, protecting plumbing systems and appliances that use water.
Water filtration systems provide clean, better-tasting water and can improve the safety of city or well water. If your water tastes funny, smells bad, or tests positive for specific contaminants, a more advanced filtration system may be beneficial.
Water Purification Systems
Purification systems take water treatment a step further, targeting both biological and chemical contaminants. These systems typically combine multiple technologies to ensure water is free from harmful substances.
- Reverse Osmosis (RO) removes a wide range of heavy metals, nitrates, and certain bacteria using a semipermeable membrane to provide high-purity water.
- Distillation Systems boil water and collect the resulting steam, leaving impurities behind. They’re effective for removing minerals, heavy metals, and some microorganisms, though less effective for volatile chemicals.
Water purification systems are particularly effective for families with concerns about toxins, pesticides, or heavy metals in their water supply. They ensure comprehensive removal of these contaminants, providing peace of mind for your home.
UV Filtration
Ultraviolet (UV) filtration systems are highly effective at disinfecting water by neutralizing bacteria and viruses, making them perfect for those concerned about biological contaminants. UV light disrupts the DNA of microorganisms, rendering them unable to reproduce. It’s a chemical-free disinfection method that’s environmentally friendly and safe.
Water Softeners
Hard water contains high levels of minerals like calcium and magnesium. While not harmful to health, it can cause problems such as scale buildup in pipes, reducing appliance efficiency, and dry skin or hair. Water softeners resolve these issues by using an ion exchange process.
Hard water passes through a resin bed that exchanges calcium and magnesium ions for sodium or potassium ions, effectively “softening” the water. Water softeners can improve your health, protect your plumbing and extend the lifespan of water-based appliances.
Each water treatment system offers a unique approach to remedying different types of contamination. Your home may be well-served by one water conditioning system or you may need multiple to eradicate all types of pollutants in your water supply. If you’re not sure which water conditioning system applies to your home’s needs, don’t hesitate to consult with a professional plumber for tailored advice.
If your household relies on well water, you ought to be aware of how to maintain the safety of it:
Steps for Proper Well Maintenance
Regular maintenance of your private well reduces the risk of contamination from runoff, mineral deposits, pesticides, and more. It can also extend the lifespan of your well system and preserve your home’s plumbing system.
For starters, you should test your water annually – DIY or professional water quality testing is the cornerstone of well maintenance. It can flag all types of contamination including bacteria, nitrates, nitrites, heavy metals, pesticides, and other chemicals. Testing is especially important after heavy rains or when there’s construction nearby. These events can introduce new contaminants.
You should also regularly inspect your wellhead (the portion of the well visible above ground) as it plays a critical role in preventing contamination. Make sure the well cap is securely sealed to block debris, pests, and water runoff. Check for cracks, rust, or damage to the casing, and keep the surrounding area clear of vegetation or clutter to maintain proper drainage.
Once every 3-5 years, schedule a professional inspection of the well pump to assess its performance, electrical components, and any signs of wear and tear. Regular maintenance of the well pump helps avoid costly breakdowns and ensures consistent water pressure.
You may also want to disinfect your well with chlorine periodically. Shock chlorination can eliminate harmful bacteria and sanitize the system. It’s especially useful after repairs, flooding, or the detection of bacterial contamination. It should be done carefully, however, to avoid overchlorination.
Be sure to keep detailed records of your well maintenance, including repairs, water tests, and any treatments performed. This information is invaluable for tracking trends, identifying recurring issues, and ensuring compliance with local health regulations.
Take Control of Your Water Quality
Water is at the core of our health, so ensuring its safety is a responsibility that shouldn’t be overlooked. Whether our water comes from a municipal supply or a private well, understanding the risks, testing for contaminants, and investing in proper treatment systems are crucial steps to protect the health of you and your family.
City water, while treated and monitored, can still carry risks from aging infrastructure or unanticipated contamination. Well water offers independence but requires vigilant testing and maintenance to prevent harmful substances from infiltrating your supply. In either case, using treatment systems like water softeners, filters, and purification systems can significantly improve quality and peace of mind.
Unsafe water isn’t always obvious. Strange tastes, discoloration, or boil water advisories may be clear signs, but some of the most harmful contaminants, like lead or arsenic, are invisible. That’s why regular water testing is so important – it’s the only reliable way to know what’s in your water. Once you understand your water’s unique challenges, you can choose the right solutions, from simple sediment filters to advanced reverse osmosis systems or UV filtration for biological threats.
Maintaining your water system is an ongoing process. Private well owners should test their water annually, schedule inspections every 3-5 years, and promptly repair any damage. For city water, staying informed about local quality reports and addressing taste or odor issues can make a big difference.
Water is a foundational piece of good health, so make it a priority to test yours. Be proactive and address any potential risks with water treatment systems before a small issue instead of letting them linger for months.
For answers to any questions about water conditioning systems reach out to Mattioni’s friendly team of professional plumbers at (610) 400-8510 or book a free in-home consultation directly online. We have over 75 years of experience in the business of installing water conditioning systems.
Take the reigns of your home’s water supply and explore the right solutions to keep yours clean and safe every time you turn on the tap.
