Your water may look clear, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is clean.
There are a ton of pollutants that can get past the human eye easily.
The truth is, local municipalities haven’t always done a great job in keeping your water safe.
That’s why boil water notices tend to occur so often in certain areas.
Still, even if your municipality has a good track record, it never hurts to make sure that you’re drinking safe and clean water.
Contact Your Local Authorities
While you may not have direct access to your municipality’s water filtration plant, you can still do something to check if everything’s in order.
Asking your city’s water department for a comprehensive inspection of the water filtration plant is a good way to start.
Even better, you can ask your neighbors to do the same thing.
The authorities might ignore a single individual, but they can’t ignore a large chunk of the population.
Test Your Water Regularly
Sure, it’s somewhat of a hassle, but it’s worth it. Water testing kits come in all shapes, sizes, and prices.
Some are meant for measuring total dissolved solids, while others can detect chemicals, sediment, and other pollutants.
Whenever you have time, test your water for all kinds of pollutants and see what level they are at.
Some pollutants, like TDS (total dissolved solids) are usually calcium and magnesium.
These are completely safe to drink. However, in higher amounts, they leave limescale residue on your taps, showerheads, fixtures, etc.
It’s hard to determine what type of filter you need for your specific needs.
If you have several types of pollutants, you might want to consider looking through the best whole house water filter units currently available.
Be Aware of Construction and Sewer Maintenance in Your Area
Usually, municipalities announce when there are going to excavate through trenches or disrupt sewage to fix a problem.
But sometimes, a problem might occur that needs emergency fixing.
When this happens, almost inevitably some of the water might come in contact with debris and other pollutants.
In this case, your safest bet is to avoid drinking water. If you have to, first boil the water before drinking it.
This will kill bacteria and cause sediment to settle. Note that the altitude you’re at also influences water boiling time.
Filter and Store Water For Emergencies
It’s always a good idea to have a backup for everything, especially water.
You never know when a disaster might strike which will leave you without fresh water.
As such, it’s a good idea to invest in water storage containers and keep them safe for this type of situations.
You’ll be thankful that you won’t have to fight people at the supermarket for the last remaining bottle of water.
Use Disinfectants When Necessary
If you have a private well, you should know that your water is far more susceptible to bacteria and other pathogens. That’s because with private well water there is no municipality that could have done any prior treatment.
In this sense, you might want to consider water treatment methods such as shock chlorination and UV radiation to make sure that your water is as healthy and safe as it gets.
The Bottom Line
Follow these basic steps and you should be able to enjoy clean and healthy water every single day.