Water quality can no longer be taken for granted. Aging municipal water utilities struggle and often fail to meet federal quality standards. Our distribution infrastructure also faces the challenges of age and budget cuts. Once thought pristine, well water is also a source of concern since much groundwater has been contaminated by a variety of chemical and biological contaminants. It’s no wonder many of us now think twice before taking a sip from the tap.
Bottled water was once a popular alternative, but it’s expensive and creates waste that’s hard on the environment. Fortunately, with a Young’s water system, you can provide your family with fresh, clean, great-tasting water without worry, concern or waste. Water quality varies from home to home so water treatment for one family may not be right for another.
TDS – Total Dissolved Solids are made up of inorganics as well as some organics. Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Nitrates and Chlorides amongst others are commonly found in our water sources.
Agricultural and urban runoff, waste water discharges and road ice salt are some of the human activities attributing to the levels of dissolved solids found in our water sources. In summary, total dissolved solids in our water are as a result of natural and human activities.
Caused by algae, molds and bacteria that live in water and can multiply within a home’s plumbing system.
Common sources of lead in drinking water are from lead pipes, fixtures and faucets. Homes and businesses that are connected to the water main, in which the water is delivered through lead service lines, frequently have the highest concentrations of lead in the water.
The EPA standard for maximum allowable levels has been set at zero. Lead is harmful to human health due its toxicity, and even low levels is impactful to overall human health.
Emerging Contaminants are many kinds of chemicals that make their way into our lakes, rivers and streams. Cleaning products, pharmaceuticals, PFAAS, PFOAS and plastics are chemicals that wastewater treatment plants and industrial processes are not designed to remove. These chemicals end up in our waterways having an impact on human health, as well as disrupting the aquatic environment. These emerging contaminants are of growing concern as the risk to human and aquatic health is still uncertain, more tests and studies are being conducted to understand the true threat that exists today.
As a result of plastic pollution from plastic bags, bottles, cosmetics and synthetic clothing, these small pieces of plastic are being found to be in our drinking water, seafood and other food products. Microplastics are not biodegradable and have been also discovered in our oceans and fresh water eco systems. The health effects of microplastics on human health is still un certain and studies are on going.
There are thousands of pharmaceuticals in use today. Some pharmaceuticals have been found in water and have raised concerns about the potential risks they pose to both humans and our ecosystems. These pharmaceuticals tend to make their way in to our waters primarily through excretion of active drugs directly from patients and subsequent incomplete removal of those pharmaceuticals from our wastewater during wastewater treatment.
PFA’S – Per and Polyfluoroalkyl substances consist of a group of man made chemicals introduced in the early 1940’s for manufacturers of a variety of different applications. These chemicals were once thought to be advantageous for products in there ability to repel water, stains, fire etc. Products containing these chemicals would consist of non stick cookware, polishes, waxes and fire fighting foams, just to name a few. Although these chemicals have been slowly getting phased out, there replacements are seeming to be not much better, and time will tell how these new chemicals impact human health.
PFA’S have been found in water supplies throughout North America. These are known as “forever chemicals”, and take a lot longer to breakdown in nature, if at all! According to the EPA, exposure to PFA’s can have an adverse effect on human health. More studies are being conducted to understand the true impacts these chemicals have on human health.