Water quality is something more and more people are starting to be concerned about. That’s part of the reason why the average household spends more than $1,000 a year on bottled water. The truth is that certain water quality issues are present no matter where you live, and this is despite the fact that municipal water is treated. Discover some of the specific water quality issues that impact homes in San Jose and the Bay Area and the options you have for overcoming them.
Common Water Quality Issues
All municipal water companies are held to strict standards and must regularly test the water in the distribution system to ensure it meets the state and federal water quality standards. However, EPA and local state regulations don’t require municipal water supplies to be completely free of harmful contaminants. Instead, they just specify that the concentration of different contaminants can’t be any higher than what’s been deemed the “safe” level.
For instance, the maximum allowable amount of lead in a municipal water supply is 15 parts per billion (ppb). Recent tests have shown that the water in the San Jose area only contains around 5 ppb of lead, which is far below the maximum allowable level. The only issue is that doctors and scientists have repeatedly said that no amount of lead is safe for children due to all of the risks it poses to their health and development.
Arsenic is another harmful chemical that is naturally found in most water supplies, as it leaches out of rocks into underground aquifers. The concentration of arsenic in the water in our area is just over 4 ppb, while the maximum allowable concentration is 10 ppb. However, many experts believe that anything over 1 ppb of arsenic is still dangerous, as long-term exposure to arsenic has been directly linked to an increased risk of cancer. The only issue is that it’s extremely difficult and costly for water treatment facilities to fully remove arsenic, and this high cost is the main reason why the EPA’s “safe” standard is so much higher than what most scientists believe to be a safe level.
Local water supplies also contain a wide variety of other pollutants and contaminants, such as pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals like uranium and radium. Most water also contains some amount of other heavy metals like chromium, mercury, zinc, cadmium, nickel, iron and manganese. Some of these heavy metals can pose significant health risks, while others negatively affect the taste of water.
One other problem is that the water in our area is usually treated with chloramine, which further contributes to the water having a bad taste and smell. When water is treated with chlorine instead, you can usually get rid of the chlorine taste by letting the water sit in your refrigerator overnight. This isn’t the case with chloramine, as it results in the chlorine taste and smell lingering no matter how long the water is left to sit. Most regular carbon water filters are also not very effective at removing the chlorine taste when chloramine is present in the water.
Our area is also known to have hard water, meaning the water has a high concentration of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium. Hard water isn’t a water quality issue necessarily, as it’s perfectly safe to drink and doesn’t pose any type of risk. Nonetheless, hard water often has a mineral or chalky taste that many people find off-putting. The real concern with hard water is the impact that the mineral deposits it leaves behind have on a plumbing system.
Understanding the Effects of Hard Water
Most people are fully aware of how hard water results in mineral deposits getting left on dishes, glass shower doors, etc., or how the deposits can build up inside faucets and showerheads to where they start to clog up. When you have hard water, you also end up with mineral deposits continually building up inside your pipes. Over time, the deposits can lead to issues like poor water pressure and decreased flow rates, as they continually reduce the inside diameter of pipes. Once these issues arise, the only way to overcome them is to replace all of the affected pipes. That means paying a high cost to have a plumbing company repipe your house.
Mineral deposit buildup is also the reason why appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, ice makers and coffee machines tend to fail more quickly in places with hard water. The main issue is that minerals can clog up the internal pipes in an appliance or cause gaskets and seals to wear out faster, resulting in the appliance leaking.
One other thing to note is that the minerals in hard water prevent soaps, shampoos and detergents from lathering as well as normal. That means you need to use more of these products to get your skin, hair, dishes and clothes fully clean. The minerals that get left behind when you do laundry also tend to make clothes look dingy, feel stiff and not last as long. Bathing in hard water often leads to your skin and hair drying out and can leave you feeling itchy as well.
Options for Overcoming Hard Water Issues
The only solution for preventing all of the issues hard water can cause is to install a water softener. Traditional water softeners use an ion-exchange process to fully remove calcium and magnesium from the water. The softener tank then occasionally gets flushed with a sodium or potassium brine to wash out all of the minerals and recharge the softener.
However, there is some concern about all of the salt from water softeners potentially polluting local water sources, as most sewage treatment plants don’t have the ability to remove it. This type of water softener can also use around 150 gallons of water per week as a result of the tank being flushed. These two issues are why many places in California now have laws banning the use of brine water softeners.
The good news is that there are also salt- or brine-free water softeners that can overcome hard water problems without creating these types of issues. This type of unit just adds a harmless chemical to the water that ensures all of the minerals remain suspended. While the minerals don’t get removed, they do get altered in a way that prevents mineral deposits from being left behind.
Effective Water Treatment and Filtration Options
There are a variety of water filtration systems available that can overcome the full range of water quality issues. A quality water filtration system will remove almost 100% of pollutants and contaminants from your home’s water, including lead, arsenic and other heavy metals as well as chlorine, pesticides, fertilizers, etc. Determining which type of water filtration system is the best option for your home depends on what your specific wants or needs are.
For instance, installing a point-of-use reverse osmosis filter underneath your kitchen sink is an easy and fairly inexpensive way to ensure the water you drink and cook with is pure, clean and tastes great. There are also whole-home filtration systems that will ensure your entire plumbing system has clean water. Some whole-home systems also remove minerals, eliminating the need to have a separate water softener.
With more than 30 years of experience, Plumbtree Plumbing & Rooter is the company to trust when you need any plumbing service in the San Jose area. We specialize in water treatment and offer a range of systems that will effectively overcome any water quality issues your home has. To learn more about the options we offer and get help choosing the right water treatment solution for your home, contact us today.
