Common Drinking Water Contaminants
There are a number of problems that can affect the quality of the water you drink. Surprisingly, some contaminated water can look clean and clear at a glance. But just because water looks good, doesn't mean that it is.
While bad odours, unusual colours or metallic tastes usually indicate a drinking water problem, some go undetected. Lead is tasteless, odourless and colourless and can find its way into your water via soldered pipe connections. Lead-based solder was used in homes built as recently as the late 1980s.
Even though chlorine is used to disinfect water to prevent illness and disease, chlorination is not a foolproof disinfection method. Unexpected outbreaks of certain microorganisms can still occur due to infrastructure problems and operator error. And although it's disinfected, water may encounter contaminants once it leaves the treatment plant and travels through miles of distribution lines before it reaches your home.
Some drinking water quality complaints, because they are easily identifiable and often leave water aesthetically unappealing, include:
- Chlorine Taste/Odour - generally caused by chlorine used to disinfect water supplies.
- Musty, Earthy, Fishy Tastes/Odours - caused by algae, moulds and bacteria that live in water and can multiply within a home's plumbing system.
- Cloudiness/Turbidity - results from suspended particles or sediment.
- "Rotten Egg" Smell - comes from hydrogen sulfide in water.
- Colour - linked to decaying organic matter (tannins) and metals such as iron.
- Metallic Taste or Smell - generally caused by metals such as iron and manganese.
Options for Improving Your Water
The good news is that there are a number of options available for improving your drinking water.
Carbon Filters
Activated carbon can reduce chlorine, VOCs, tastes, odours and, in some cases, lead. Carbon filters are available in a variety of sizes and styles. Filter cartridges must be changed regularly to ensure optimum contaminant reduction. Some systems eliminate guesswork by alerting you when a filter change is necessary.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems
RO systems are recommended by the Centres for Disease Control as one of the most effective ways of protecting residential drinking water. They utilise a semipermeable membrane to reduce contaminants. When water is forced against the membrane, a portion of it passes through, while impurities are left behind to be carried away. Reverse osmosis is effective against dissolved salts, suspended solids, dissolved chemicals and a wide variety of other contaminants that cannot be seen by the naked eye. When choosing an RO system, look for a unit with a high recovery rate (recovery rate = amount of water produced divided by amount of water used). Generally, a rate of 25 percent or greater is considered efficient. Certain systems also employ a membrane rinse feature that cleans the membrane with the clean water produced by the system to prolong its life and ensure that it continues to produce only the best quality water.
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