How Safe is Your Water?

by Tom Casey,
Owner of Griffin Service

​The Good News In 2016, 90% of US households had water that was compliant with EPA standards. The Bad News That means that 1-out-10 people reading this could be using and consuming non-compliant drinking water.

Shortages The average Floridan uses approximately 158 gallons of water per day. New housing developments use much more water than older homes, with as much as 67% going towards irrigation. Overdevelopment has begun depleting the precious drinking water supply and will only continue to worsen as more & more developments pop-up.

Too Close In 2015, 7.5-million people received water from Florida utilities that violated drinking water standards. One report even ranked Florida 2nd worst in the nation for drinking water. EWG’s 2018 report on JEA’s water showed (5) contaminants detected above health guidelines, including:

• Chlorate
• Radiological contaminants
• Strontium
• Total trihalomethanes
• Hormones

There were (8) other contaminants detected as well.
Common Sources - Most likely pollution sources include;

• Agriculture
• Industry
• Treatment byproducts
• Run-off & sprawl
• Naturally occurring

Solution Options
Water softeners can help with the following benefits;

• Soap & shampoo that lathers better
• Elimination of soap scum residue on sinks and tubs
• Dishes that clean easier and dry spot free
• Clothes that come out cleaner, softer, and brighter
• Appliances and water heaters that last longer

Whole-House filters can help with the following benefits;

• Elimination of odors or smelly water
• No more cartridges to change
• No more chemicals to purchase
• Protection of appliances, plumbing, and water heaters
• Removal of chemical contaminants like pesticides, lead, mercury, & more

Point-of-Use filters can help with the following benefits;

• Bottled Water Taste
• Sparkling clean drinking water
• No expensive, ugly dispenser or bottle water delivery contracts
• Only treat drinking and cooking water

How Do You Know? 
Water that's safe to drink should ideally be clear with no odor or funny taste. One sign that water is potentially contaminated is to look for cloudiness. While cloudy water doesn't necessarily mean it’s dangerous to your health, but it could signal the presence of unsafe contaminants. Water with any type of discoloration is generally not good; different colors indicate different potential issues. The best way to know is to test, not guess, typically two tests; Ph and TDS (total dissolved solids).