Many people who get their water from a public source as opposed to a private well or spring don’t think or worry too much about the quality of the water they’re drinking, bathing in, or cooking with. After all, it comes from a public source, so it’s got to be safe, right?
That’s what the people of Flint, Michigan saw too, but remember when that little town made headlines all across the country and the Red Cross had to start bringing bottled water in by the truckload?
That stands as proof that even public water supplies can have major issues, and it underscores the importance of public water system testing in Centreville, VA, especially when you consider that around the country, there are more than a thousand communities with water problems even worse than Flint’s!
The simple truth is that there are a lot of pipes running between your house and the source of the water you’re getting, and many of those are older. Older pipes often suffer from corrosion which can cause metal and other contaminants to leach into the water you’re using on a daily basis.
To be safe, we recommend taking advantage of our public water system testing services in Centreville, VA at least once a year, or any time you suspect that there’s something wrong with your water. It’s important to note too that although public water providers have a legal obligation to ensure safe drinking water, they are under no obligation whatsoever to provide high-quality drinking water and quality matters.
This is one of the main reasons people make use of our public water system testing services in Centreville, VA. If your water smells bad or tastes funny, or if it’s leaving stains on your clothing when you do laundry, or staining your sinks, toilets, and bathtub, the right tests will help you understand the reasons why. Armed with that information, you can then take steps to improve the quality of the water you rely on.
When it comes to testing the overall quality of your water, we offer a variety of options, including:
Sulfates – If you notice a foul smell and rotten taste in your water that reminds you of rotten eggs, sulfates are the likely culprit. This test will confirm that, and tell you how big a problem you’ve got.
Hardness – At one point or another, you’ve probably heard someone complain that their water is too hard, but what does that mean, exactly? Hard water results in the formation of unsightly scaly residue that builds up in your shower, toilets, and sinks and prevents soaps from lathering up properly. It’s not an insurmountable problem, but it is an annoying one.
Iron – If your sinks, toilet and tub are stained with a reddish-brown discoloration, the likeliest culprit is a high concentration of iron in your water. This test will confirm that to be the root cause of the issue.
Manganese – Like iron, a high concentration of manganese in the water coming into your home will stain your sinks, toilets and tub, along with any clothing you wash.
pH – A high or low pH level in your water will change its flavor markedly. High pH levels will, over the course of time, corrode the pipes in your home, which can cause a variety of dangerous metals to leach into the water your family relies on, making a pH test incredibly important.
And Total Dissolved Solids – A small amount of minerals in your water can actually be a good thing, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and minerals in high concentration can dramatically alter the taste of the water you’re drinking, and usually not in a good way. This test will tell you what minerals are present, and in what concentrations.
In addition to water quality issues, there are some important health-related issues where public water is concerned, again, as borne out by what happened in Flint, Michigan. Taking advantage of our public water system testing services in Centreville, VA is a great way to give yourself peace of mind and confirm that the water your family relies on is free of the most dangerous and common forms of contaminants. Here, we offer three different tests:
Lead – Lead contamination is exactly the issue that citizens in Flint, Michigan ran into, so don’t think that just because you get your water from a public source, this isn’t a potential concern. Flint’s issue stemmed from the fact that automotive plants in the area polluted the river the town used to draw water from, but many older homes in our area may have lead in their water leaching in from older pipes inside the home itself. This test will tell you exactly what the lead levels in your water are.
Total Coliform Bacteria – Coliform bacteria is one of the most common causes of gastrointestinal illnesses. If you or members of your family are experiencing chronic gastrointestinal issues, particularly chronic diarrhea, the water you’re drinking may be the culprit.
This should be considered the standard water safety test, and note that if the sample you send us fails this test, then we will automatically test further, for the presence of E-Coli bacteria.
And Nitrates – If you live in an area where there’s lots of agricultural activity, you could easily have a high concentration of nitrates in the water you are drinking. The results of this test will tell you if the level of nitrates in your water is a problem.
Don’t take any chances where your health is concerned. If you even suspect you have a problem with your water, give us a call and let’s run some tests!