When it comes to water quality, location is a very big deal. This is particularly true when you live in a thriving metropolis in the middle of the desert. From scenic views to great winter weather, living in Scottsdale comes with a lot of benefits, but unfortunately safe drinking water may not be one of them. At least not without active water treatment.
So, what exactly is in your water? Recently, the City of Scottsdale released its 2018 Water Quality Report with an aim of answering that exact question. As it turns out there is a lot more than just hydrogen and oxygen atoms flowing through your pipes.
Contaminants, Regulations and Scottsdale Water
Whether its sourced from lakes and rivers, or it comes from underground wells, our water absorbs a lot of contaminants before it gets to our homes. Some of those toxins, such as arsenic, seep into the water naturally from the rocks and soil. Other pollutants, like nitrates, come from industrial herbicides and pesticides that run off into the water. Finally, chlorine and its byproducts are introduced into the water to prevent bacterial growth.
Regardless of how they end up in the water, many of these substances can be harmful to humans and our pets if they are present in large doses. To ensure that this doesn’t happen the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set federal standards for municipal drinking water. Fortunately, the Scottsdale Water Department does an outstanding job when it comes to treating water so that it meets those national standards.
The “Not So Pure” Water
So, is Scottsdale’s tap water safe to drink? The answer is that technically it is safe because it meets all of the standards set by the EPA. However, because of the sheer task of creating standards that can be universally applied across the whole of United States, there are areas we believe many municipalities are missing that aren’t covered in the EPA regulations.
An example can be found with the chemical Chromium-6, which has for a long time been linked with certain cancers and was made (in)famous by a landmark lawsuit led by Erin Brockovich in Hinkley, California. Despite its notoriety, EPA has not created a legal limit for the Chromium-6. The City of Scottsdale reports that last year the city found an average of 5.2 ppb of Chromium-6 in each of its tests.
Additionally, the Scottsdale Water Department outlines some other toxins that do not have an official standard but are closely monitored due to their links to health problems. These measurements include compounds such as arsenic, chlorine, lead and nitrates, which make the report well worth the time to review.
What You Can Do to Improve Your Water
Scottsdale, and the rest of the cities in the Valley, do a great and tireless job of making sure our water meets the EPA standard. However, this quality standard may fall short of your standard for safe home drinking water.
Fortunately, if you are concerned, there are steps that you can take to mitigate those risk factors and improve the taste of your water. Water filtration provided by a reverse osmosis system can be a cost-effective and quick solution for your drinking water. Aqua Science provides reverse osmosis systems as an easy to implement option to eliminate the contaminants and compounds that are highlighted in this report.
