Illinois Drinking Water Quality
Water quality can vary from city to city, and from well to well. The water quality you need, will depend on how you use it:
Service Grade Water – used to water plants, etc. No treatment required unless it causes stains.
Utility Grade Water – used in your plumbing, appliances, and for bathing. Should be soft, and possibly filtered.
Drinking Water – essential to our lives. Since 75% of the human body is water, the water we drink and cook with must be of the highest quality!
Where do Water Contaminants Come From?
As water passes through the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, hail, or fog, it picks up impurities and gases. And, because water is the universal solvent, it picks up even more impurities as it travels through the earth – both natural and man-made.
These contaminants are classified as:
- Organic contaminants
- Inorganic contaminants
- Disinfectants
- Disinfection byproducts
- Radionucliides
- Microbes
Below you will find the most common water problems that our clients as us about:
Hard Water
Water ‘hardness’ is caused by the minerals calcium and magnesium in ground and surface water. If either or both minerals are present in your water supply in high concentrations, the water is considered ‘hard.’ These minerals come from sedimentary rock such as limestone that dissolves into our water.
Glassware Etching
Orange or Brown Stains
Orange, Brown or black stains found in dishwasher or clothes washer are usually from high levels of manganese. Manganese that is dissolved in water can stain when the level is above .05mg/l. The dishwasher is a perfect machine to oxidize it because it heats it, agitates it and mixes the water with air. Manganese can also stain clothes in the washing machine, due to the same reasons. If bleach is added staining is worse.
Rotten Egg Smell
Sulfur is a naturally occurring contaminant, which gives water a nasty rotten egg odor or taste. There are no known health effects; however sulfur is corrosive and can cause damage to your plumbing.
Iron Bacteria is a very common sources of rotten egg smell in Illinois. This nuisance bacteria also tends to cause a slimy, orange-red build up in plumbing and drains. We have dedicated Iron Filters and Iron Bacteria Treatment systems to control these problems.
