Need Help with Water Quality Report

I will be installing an under-the-counter system some time in the next few weeks. The unit will supply water for drinking and the refrigerator icemaker. The drinking water will dispense through a dedicated low gpm faucet.

I'm planning on using either two or three standard 10" housings with 1/4" ports.

Our Water Quality Report is included below.

Our goal is to have the absolute best tasting water possible. We're looking for that sweet taste that makes plain old water an attractive alternative to soft drinks.

We would also like to know if there any major health concerns with our water. In addition, I could use some guidance on which filters are needed to reach our taste goal.

Our water company has two treatment plants. Unfortunately, we don't know which treatment plant suppplies our water.

Turbidity – A Measure of the Clarity of the Water at the Treatment Facility (Facilities)
LOCATION Level Found
HAYS MINE 0.14 NTU
ALDRICH 0.40 NTU

Regulated Substances (Measured on the Water Leaving the Treatment Facility)
Substance (units) Maximum Amount
Arsenic (ppb) 3
Barium (ppm) 0.07
Nitrate (ppm) as Nitrogen 0.66
Fluoride (ppm) 1.42
Selenium (ppb) 14


Aldrich Treatment Plant Chlorine Measured on Water Leaving the Treatment Plant
Free Chlorine (mg/L)
=================================================
Minimum 0.3
Range 0.3 to 1.5


Hays Mine Treatment Plant Chlorine Measured on Water Leaving the Treatment Plant
Free Chlorine (mg/L)
=================================================
Minimum 0.2
Range 0.2 to 1.5


Hays Mine Station Total Organic Carbon Removal
Total Organic Carbon (TOC) (% removal)
=======================================
Range of Percent Removal Achieved 13 1 to 46


Aldrich Station Total Organic Carbon Removal
Total Organic Carbon (TOC) (% removal)
=======================================
Range of Percent Removal Achieved 17 1 to 34


Bacterial Results (From The Distribution System)
Total Coliforms
==============================================
Highest Percentage Detected (% of positive samples) 0.36


Lead (ppb)
=================================
Max Results 17
Number of Samples 58
90th Percentile 5
Number of Samples Above Action Level 1

Copper (ppb)
=====================================
Max Results 0.41
Number of Samples 58
90th Percentile 0.25
Number of Samples Above Action Level 0

Thanks!

You are in or near Pittsburgh. These water plants (like all city water plants) are under EPA oversight-- the water is perfectly "safe" for general drinking. None of those numbers look "bad". If they did, the company would act, or the EPA and the newspapers would harass them into complying.

The 0.4 NTU turbidity is marginal. Turbidity means the water is "cloudy". That alone is not good nor bad: some of the "best" water I've had was visibly turbid. 0.4NTU probably looks "clear" to the eye, but many plants strive for 0.3 to 0.1NTU. The NTU number does not tell you "what" is making the water cloudy; it's just good practice to keep the NTU low.

> we don't know which treatment plant suppplies our water

I don't know; but in a system like that, usually both plants feed "all" water mains. That way if one plant has a problem, nobody goes dry. Normally you get a mix of both plants, a bit more from the closer one. But both reports are quite fine.

These particular plants are old and a century of improvements has made them a bit clumsy to keep in line. There's a 100 million buck upgrade project which will prepare them for 2012 standards and beyond. You can probably find the press release on the website listed on your water-bill. Such papers are of course self-serving, but the investment shows real commitment to water quality.

In that area, between rich geology and intense industry, the city-treated water could be perfectly safe yet maybe off-flavor. But "flavor" is a hard thing to find. Pure distilled water may taste flat. Some "tasty" water has significant minerals and chemicals.

You might just try a simple carbon filter. These take out the cloudiness and much chemical-taste. With a dedicated drinking tap, a simple "refrigerator filter" may be enough, and sure is cheap enough to try.

If you have specific concerns, such as pregnant or immune disease, you probably should not go by the water-company's tariff report but pay for an independent water test. Call the lab first. Tell them it is city water and that you want "wholesome" and "tasty". They will suggest which tests are appropriate for city-water (instead of well-water which tends to have different issues) and the report can interpret, not just "safe" but also highlight stuff which may be "acceptable" but not as "tasty" as you could want.