{"id":22866,"date":"2021-11-12T08:11:06","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T13:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.filtersfast.com\/blog\/?p=22866"},"modified":"2021-11-12T08:11:06","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T13:11:06","slug":"is-my-water-really-clean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.filtersfast.com\/blog\/is-my-water-really-clean\/","title":{"rendered":"Is My Water Really Clean?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the United States, public water systems are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are delegated to states and tribes to provide drinking water to 90% of Americans. It is estimated that the remainder of the population gets their drinking water from private wells. Private wells are not regulated by the EPA.<\/p>\n

A public water system\u2019s purpose is to provide water for human consumption through pipes or other conveyances. At the time we wrote this blog post, the United States water supply consisted of 148,000 public water systems.<\/p>\n

How do I know my water is safe to drink?<\/h2>\n

The Safe Water Drinking Act is the main federal law that ensures that Americans have clean drinking water. In fact, the United States has one of the world\u2019s safest drinking water supplies<\/a>. The EPA sets the clean drinking water standard and oversees the states, localities, and water suppliers that implement those standards.<\/p>\n

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One thing that you should know is that the EPA sets the standard for the smallest amount of each contaminant that can be present in drinking water.<\/p>\n

Certain contaminants, if consumed, may not show any immediate health effects, but can over time. This means that there may still be trace amounts of certain contaminants in your drinking water. The EPA does not set a standard for taste, which is why many Americans experience tap water that smells and tastes like chlorine. In some cases, tap water may even taste metallic.<\/p>\n

Public water systems in the US are required to conduct regular water testing and disclose a water quality report to their customers. You can find out how your local water utility measures up by checking out the Consumer Confidence Report<\/a> on the EPA\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

While public water systems are responsible for water treatment and making sure that your drinking water is safe, they are not responsible for making sure that it is safe all the way to the tap. Whose responsibility is that? Yours.<\/p>\n

\"water_sewer_responsibilities\"<\/a>Photo credit: Dayton, Oregon Public Works<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

As you can see in the graphic above, it is the homeowner\u2019s responsibility once the water reaches the water service lateral.
\nThere are many factors that can affect your water quality once it reaches the water service lateral, here are just a few:<\/p>\n