Water quality is an important consideration for homeowners in Colorado. Whether you get your water from a well or your local municipal water system, it’s a good idea to regularly test your home’s water to ensure it’s safe and healthy. Impurities in water can not only affect taste, hardness, and color, but also your family’s health. While water treatment plants are required to meet EPA standards for contamination levels, it’s up to homeowners to ensure that their well water is safe. In Grand County, ground water contamination can occur from human activity such as agriculture, mining, and industrial production, as well as naturally from minerals and organic matter in the soil.
Here are some of the contaminants that a water test can find in drinking water:
Microorganisms
Harmful microorganisms include viruses, cryptosporidium and giardia,all of which can lead to gastrointestinal illness such as diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps. We all know how important it is to bring a water filter when camping in the backcountry, it’s just as important to know if your home’s well is clean, or if you need a whole home water filtration system.
Disinfection Byproducts
Chlorite is a byproduct of drinking water disinfection. In can cause anemia and nervous system effects in infants and young children. Bromate and haloacetic acids are another byproduct of water treatment and have been linked to an increased risk of cancer.
Inorganic Chemicals
Inorganic chemicals include: arsenic, asbestos, barium, cadmium, Copper, chromium, lead, mercury, nitrates and other chemicals. These contaminants can occur naturally in the soil that comes in contact with water, as well as from industrial and agricultural byproducts. Even in very small quantities many organic chemicals can cause serious health problems.
Organic Chemicals
Organic chemicals include benzene, dioxine, toluene and other chemicals that can be found in industrial waste and agricultural pesticides and herbicides.
If a water test determines that your drinking water has elevated levels of contamination, or the water hardness, flavor and color is a concern, Grand Lake Plumbing and Heating offers a number of solutions for cleaner water, including water softeners and whole home water treatment systems.
