Effective Ways Of Keeping Your Drinking Water Safe

Today, it’s critical to ensure you have a reliable supply of clean drinking water in your home, especially if you receive the water from a private well. Although the US is among the countries with the safest water supply sources in the world, water sources are potentially predisposed to natural and unnatural contaminants or chemicals that can affect the quality of water.

For your household to get clean water all year round, you need to ensure the quality of your water is tested annually. Here are some simple household tips to help you maintain the supply and purity of water in your home.

Testing Well Water

It’s not possible to determine whether the well water in your home is safe for drinking or not with your bare eyes. You need the help of an established research facility or laboratory that is purposely equipped and authorized to get the water tested. For instance, through the Cadiz Water Project, Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) has actively been involved in several initiatives to ensure that there is a reliable supply of clean drinking water for residents of Orange County and its environs. The project has come up with innovative approaches and tests to ensure that the water supply is free of infections, parasites, and bacteria throughout the year.

Remember, even if you’re not developing unusual illnesses, that doesn’t mean that your well water is safe because it has the potential of causing long haul health issues. According to the CDC, you should have your well water tested for various contaminants, including pesticides, inorganic mixes, nitrates, heavy metals, and Coliform bacteria.

Some of the chemical contaminants and microorganisms found in the groundwater supplies can cause severe and chronic health issues. Some of the factors that affect the quality of well water include:

Location – Identify some of the well water issues that your neighbors have encountered in the past and how they handled them

Construction – A private well should be strongly constructed to ensure its safety

Maintenance – The well water should be checked regularly

Water Source – Ensure that you draw water from a safe aquifer

Human activities – Make sure that any ongoing human activities near the well do not affect the quality of your water.

Checking Private Wells

As a private well owner, you have to ensure your source of water is checked regularly. To be confident that the water is safe for cooking and drinking, it’s recommended that you have your well checked at least every year.

In addition, you should also check whether the well has any structural issues that might affect the quality of your water. If your well water is severely polluted, you and your family may be at risk of experiencing almost immediate problems such as vomiting, nausea, and diarrhoea.

In the long run, some of the harmful contaminants found in polluted water can cause serious health issues such as neurological problems, gastrointestinal illnesses, various types of cancer, and reproductive problems. Nitrates are particularly hazardous to infants as they can interrupt the smooth flow of oxygen in their blood, causing growth problems.

Well Water Treatment Options

Not all water treatment options are capable of working effectively in removing the contaminants in your well water. This is why you should consult with an expert to avoid making costly and life-threatening mistakes when trying to treat your well water. Some of the viable water treatment options to consider include:

Water Softener

Apart from making your clothes softer, using a water softener can also make your hair and skin softer. The softener will also help prolong the lifespan of your expensive kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures. Furthermore, since the softener helps reduce the impact that hard water has on the effectiveness of soap, your household will have cleaner, stain-free surfaces. Hence, investing in either salt-free water softeners or salt-based alternatives is altogether a good idea.

Filtration Systems

Some water filtration systems or water filters are capable of removing a wide range of natural and unnatural contaminants from your well water, making it safe for drinking. Modern-day water filters use sophisticated biological and chemical processes along with other effective physical barriers to remove all contaminants from well water. Therefore, depending on the exact condition of the water in your region, you should choose a water filtration system that perfectly suits your family’s specific needs.

Distillation System

Distillation is a process that involves boiling and condensing water to remove impurities. In other words, the process removes the impurities in your water and leaves the solid or chemical contaminants and dirty behind. Although iodine tablets or chlorine drops may cause some undesirable tastes in the water, you should consider using these practical solutions in removing contaminants before the distillation process.

A majority of homes in the US receive their drinking water from private wells. As long as the water is safe, they can comfortably use their water and save a few bucks along the way. However, since the private well water is not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there is no guarantee about the safety of the water. Therefore, by observing the aforementioned safety precautions and taking into account these tips, the water in your household should be much safer.

*collaborative  post

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