Every day, we rely on clean water in our homes for routine activities. From bathing to cooking to drinking, if you live with poor city water quality, it could diminish your life considerably. Even though you may drink tap water, less than 1% of city water is actually used for drinking.
The majority of households use city water for bathing, cooking, watering lawns and gardens, or cleaning. If you don’t like your tap water, you probably purchase bottled water or may even have a filtered water pitcher. However, you can save hundreds of dollars per year by investing in a water filtration system, especially if your city water supply has been contaminated.
Is Your City Water Safe?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for regulating municipal water supplies across America. In general, city water is safe for consumption, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t have an odor or poor taste.
However, at the very least, city water treatment centers must meet EPA drinking standards. For this reason, all cities and towns have a water treatment plan that must comply with EPA’s testing. Once water is tested and passes, it’s automatically routed to your home.
If you suspect that your city water has been contaminated, you may be right. The Environmental Working Group created a tap water database that identifies water quality by zip code.
Why Does My City Water Taste Bad?
There are multiple reasons for poor taste and bad odors in water. One of the main reasons is that water treatment plants often use chemical compounds to remove contaminants. This changes the pH balance of your tap water. Other treatment centers will add chlorine or fluoride to water to improve its safety.
If you are concerned, you may want to check your water company’s annual report. Every water company must supply one if requested.
In other cases, your municipal water may be contaminated. Many areas of the US have contaminated water that simply isn’t safe for consumption without a water filtration system.
Is Bottled Water Better Than City Tap Water?
While municipal water systems aren’t perfect, there are some benefits to drinking tap water. For example, small doses of fluoride in water were introduced into US water to improve dental health. Some reports have shown that large deposits of fluoride can lead to problems with child brain development, though.
Bottled water has its own set of dangers, and a recent report showed that 25% of bottled water is the same as local tap water. Most of the time, bottled water companies source water from natural springs, which can be dangerous to the environment. There are also brands that don’t filter their water properly, leaving bacterial and chemical contaminants. In addition, most bottled water contains phthalates, which are used to make plastic softer and are also found in fragrances.