Water from a Public Water Utility

In the U.S., there are about 55,000 public water systems. EPA mandates that these systems test for close to 80 contaminants. In 1996, 7% of these systems, or 4,151 systems, reported one or more violation of EPA standards for these regulated contaminants. Less than 2%, or 681 systems, did not use an EPA-required water treatment technique to eliminate certain pollutants.

Most community water systems obtain their water from surface water sources, like rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. These bodies of water, open to the environment, are susceptible to pollution. Animal waste can contaminate surface water sources with bacteria like Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Industries can discharge their wastes into surface water, adding hazardous organic contaminants to the water you may drink. Stormwater drains can empty into rivers and lakes with rainwater that's carrying gasoline, oil, and any number of hazardous and bacterial wastes. Rainwater can also carry fertilizers and pesticides from fields into streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Even train derailments and truck accidents that cause tankers to spill their contents can contaminate surface water sources.

Cryptosporidium in particular is difficult for water treatment facilities to eliminate. Each Cryptosporidium microorganism is covered by an outer shell, called a oocyst, that is impervious to disinfection chemicals like chlorine. On rare occasions, these oocysts pass untreated through water treatment plants to your home.
In 1993, the City of Milwaukee experienced a severe Cryptosporidium outbreak. The parasite passed through the water treatment and disinfection system and caused over 400,000 people to contract cryptosporidiosis, a gastrointestinal disease that can be fatal to people with compromised immune systems. More than 4,000 people were hospitalized, and more than 50 people died. The original source of contamination is uncertain.
Chlorine itself is another potentially harmful chemical in drinking water. While it is vital to water disinfection, chlorine can bond with naturally occurring organic matter in your water to form potentially harmful substances, such as chloroform.

Other substances that can enter your drinking water are rust, sediment, and even lead. While flowing through distribution pipes from the water treatment plant to your home, your drinking water can pick up these pollutants after it's already been treated.

So how do you find out what's in your water? The best way is to call your community water system and ask for a water quality analysis. You can compare the results to EPA's National Primary Drinking Water Standards and National Secondary Drinking Water Standards to find out if your water falls below levels EPA thinks are safe for certain contaminants. As of 1999, your community water system will have to send you yearly reports with this information.

A note of caution: a water test will only tell you what is in the water that day. Public water treatment plant failures can occur intermittently, and pollutants can be present in your water after these failures or after other events (e.g., after farm fertilizing periods, heavy rains, or season changes).

Knowing what's in your water will help you select an OMNIFilter. If your water is high in rust and/or sediment, or if you wish to reduce odors and chlorine in the water flowing to all your faucets, showerheads, and appliances, we recommend installing a Whole House water filter. If you are concerned about bacteria, lead, or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in your drinking water, we recommend additionally installing an Undersink water filter. Or if you just want great tasting water, we also recommend installing an Undersink water filter.