If the source of your household water is from a public/municipal water system, the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations provide legally enforceable standards to regulate the quality of these water sources. However, these regulations do not address many water contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor or color) in drinking water. While the EPA recommends secondary standards to municipal water systems, the water systems are not required to comply. Some of these nuisance contaminants include minerals that cause hard water, chlorine used to treat municipal water, contaminants that cause bad taste or odor, and residual pharmaceuticals. For most municipal sources of water, an appropriately sized water softener (to treat hardness) and a reverse osmosis drinking water system (to remove contaminants in drinking water) are all that are needed to treat and provide great tasting water for your home.
The quality of well water varies greatly as personal/household wells are not subject to EPA regulation (see Water Problems). Determining the proper treatment of well water should be left to a certified water specialist. If you live in the Centre County area and are interested in treating your well water, you may call us for an appointment with our certified water specialist.
