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Does a Water Softener Remove Nitrates?
A water softener and a drinking-water purification system are designed to do very different jobs. Understanding that difference is especially important in Iowa, where hard water is common, and nitrate can also be a concern—particularly for homes served by private wells. Having soft water doesn’t necessarily mean you have purified drinking water.
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City Water vs. Well Water: What Changes?
Soft water isn’t a brand of water. It doesn’t mean purified water. And it doesn’t necessarily tell you whether your water is safe to drink. Soft water simply means the hardness minerals—primarily calcium and magnesium—have been removed or significantly reduced. That sounds simple, but those minerals can have a surprisingly large impact on how water behaves throughout your home.
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What Is Soft Water? A Simple Guide for Iowa Homeowners
Soft water isn’t a brand of water. It doesn’t mean purified water. And it doesn’t necessarily tell you whether your water is safe to drink. Soft water simply means the hardness minerals—primarily calcium and magnesium—have been removed or significantly reduced. That sounds simple, but those minerals can have a surprisingly large impact on how water behaves throughout your home.
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BrightWater Kinetico Donates 11 Reverse Osmosis Systems to North Polk Schools
Students and staff across the North Polk Community School District will have access to reverse osmosis drinking water this school year thanks to a donation of 11 systems from BrightWater Kinetico. The donation, valued at more than $26,000, was formally recognized Monday evening during the North
Polk Board of Education meeting by Superintendent Michael Kline. Conversations about the project began this spring amid increased attention surrounding nitrate levels across Iowa and questions from parents about the water their children use to refill bottles during the school day. -
What’s Actually in Your Iowa Tap Water?
Most Iowa homeowners turn on the faucet every day without giving much thought to where their water comes from or what’s actually in it. If your home is served by a public water system, there is a document available that can tell you quite a bit about your drinking water. It’s called a Consumer Confidence Report, often simply referred to as a water quality report. Public water systems are required to provide these reports to their customers. They contain information about your water source, contaminants that were tested for, substances that were detected, and whether the system met applicable drinking-water standards.
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Iowa’s Water Matters: Why Clean Water Should Be a Priority for Every Homeowner
Clean water is one of Iowa’s most valuable resources — yet it’s also one of the most pressing concerns facing families across our state.
From agricultural runoff and nitrates to naturally occurring minerals, radon, and aging infrastructure, Iowa water quality continues to be an important statewide conversation. Public agencies, environmental organizations, community leaders, and health advocates are all working to better understand how legislation, monitoring, and long-term funding can help protect Iowa’s water for future generations.
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PFAS: What Iowa Homeowners Should Know
PFAS—often referred to as “forever chemicals”—have become one of the most talked-about topics in drinking water. As awareness has increased, so have the number of water-treatment products claiming to address PFAS. For homeowners, that can make an already complicated subject even more confusing.
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Certified Nitrate Reduction Technology
As conversations around water quality continue across central Iowa, a local Des Moines water treatment dealer is encouraging homeowners to take a proactive, informed approach to understanding what is in their drinking water—and what options exist to address it.
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Understanding Nitrates in Iowa Water
Water quality has become an increasingly important conversation across Iowa, and one of the contaminants I’m asked about most often is nitrate. For many homeowners, nitrate is confusing because you can’t see it, smell it, or taste it. Water can look perfectly clear and taste completely normal while still containing elevated nitrate levels. That’s why understanding where nitrates come from, testing your water, and knowing your treatment options are so important.
