Start With Where Your Water Comes From

One of the first things I look at when evaluating water is the source.

In Iowa, municipal drinking water may come from groundwater wells, rivers, reservoirs, or a combination of sources. Where your water originates can have a significant impact on its chemistry and the treatment required before it reaches your home.

Groundwater, for example, often contains naturally occurring minerals that contribute to hardness. Surface water presents a different set of treatment challenges.

Understanding the source gives you context for everything else in the report.

What Is a Consumer Confidence Report?

A Consumer Confidence Report, or CCR, is an annual report from your public water supplier explaining the quality of the drinking water it provides.

Among other information, the report generally identifies regulated contaminants that were detected and compares those results with federal drinking-water standards.

You'll encounter terms such as:

MCL — Maximum Contaminant Level

This is the highest level of a regulated contaminant allowed in drinking water under federal standards.

MCLG — Maximum Contaminant Level Goal

This is a public-health goal established at a level where no known or expected health risk is anticipated. Unlike an MCL, an MCLG is not an enforceable regulatory limit.

ppm — Parts Per Million

One part per million is approximately equivalent to one milligram per liter of water.

ppb — Parts Per Billion

Some contaminants are measured at extremely small concentrations. One part per billion is approximately one microgram per liter.

Those numbers can look intimidating, but you don't need to be a chemist to learn something useful from the report.

“Detected” Doesn't Automatically Mean “Dangerous”

This is an important distinction.

Modern laboratory equipment can detect substances at extremely low concentrations. Seeing a contaminant listed on a report does not automatically mean your water is unsafe.

The first question should be whether the detected concentration complies with the applicable drinking-water standard.

Context matters.

At the same time, I don't think homeowners should look at water quality as simply a choice between safe and unsafe.

Regulatory standards establish important public-health protections. They don't necessarily answer every question a homeowner may have about the water they want to drink every day.

Some homeowners may choose additional drinking-water treatment even when their municipal water fully complies with regulatory requirements.

That's a personal water-quality decision—not necessarily an indication that the municipal water is unsafe.

Look for Contaminants You Recognize

Depending on your water system, you may see several different substances listed in the report.

Nitrate

Nitrate is particularly relevant in an agricultural state like Iowa. The federal drinking-water standard for nitrate is 10 mg/L when measured as nitrogen.

Your report can show whether nitrate was detected and the levels reported by your water supplier.

PFAS

PFAS, commonly called “forever chemicals,” have received increasing attention as federal drinking-water regulations and monitoring requirements have developed.

If PFAS results are available for your water system, pay attention to exactly which compounds were tested and the concentrations reported.

Because PFAS are measured at extremely low levels, you'll commonly see results expressed in parts per trillion rather than the parts per million measurements homeowners may be more familiar with.

Lead and Copper

Lead is somewhat different from many other water contaminants because the water leaving the treatment facility isn't necessarily the primary source.

Lead can enter drinking water through plumbing materials, service lines, fixtures, or solder as water travels to and through a property.

That means a community-wide water report cannot always tell you exactly what is happening at a particular faucet inside your home.

If you live in an older home or have concerns about your plumbing, individual testing may provide information that a system-wide report cannot.

Disinfection Byproducts

Public water systems commonly use disinfectants to control potentially harmful microorganisms.

When disinfectants react with naturally occurring organic material in water, they can form substances known as disinfection byproducts. Your report may include categories such as total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and haloacetic acids (HAA5).

Again, the important thing is to understand the measured levels and how they compare with regulatory standards.

What Your Water Quality Report Doesn't Tell You

This may be the most important part of the conversation.

A Consumer Confidence Report is an excellent resource, but it isn't a complete analysis of the water coming from your individual kitchen faucet.

The report represents the public water system and its regulatory monitoring. Your home's plumbing, water heater, fixtures, service line, treatment equipment, and other factors can affect water after it enters the property.

There are also common water-quality concerns that homeowners care about that aren't necessarily health contaminants.

Hardness is a great example.

Hard water can create scale on fixtures, spotting on glassware, buildup in appliances, dry-feeling skin and hair, and reduced efficiency in equipment that heats or uses water.

Chlorine taste or odor may also affect whether your family enjoys drinking the water even when the water meets all applicable safety standards.

That's why I separate two questions:

Does my water meet drinking-water standards?

and

Is this the quality of water I want throughout my home?

They aren't always the same question.

Should You Test Your Own Water?

Sometimes.

If you're on a private well, regular testing is especially important because there isn't a municipal utility performing the same regulatory monitoring on your behalf.

For municipal-water customers, individual testing can still make sense when there is a specific concern—particularly if you're investigating your home's plumbing, lead, unusual taste or odor, or another condition that may be unique to the property.

Testing can also be helpful before purchasing treatment equipment.

One of the biggest mistakes I see in water treatment is starting with the equipment rather than the water.

Test first. Understand the problem. Then choose the treatment.

Where Does Reverse Osmosis Fit?

For homeowners who want additional treatment specifically for the water they drink and cook with, reverse osmosis can be an effective option.

Depending on the particular system and its certifications, RO can reduce a wide range of dissolved substances and contaminants. These may include nitrate, lead, arsenic, certain PFAS compounds, dissolved minerals, salts, and other substances.

The key phrase is depending on the system and its certifications.

Not every reverse osmosis system carries the same contaminant-reduction claims.

If a manufacturer or water-treatment company says a product reduces a particular contaminant, ask to see the independent certification or performance data supporting that claim.

You shouldn't have to rely solely on a salesperson's word.

Water Softeners and Drinking-Water Systems Do Different Jobs

This is another area that often creates confusion.

A water softener and a drinking-water system are generally designed to solve different problems.

A properly designed softener primarily addresses hardness minerals such as calcium and magnesium. That can help protect plumbing and water-using appliances while improving how water performs throughout the home.

A drinking-water system such as reverse osmosis is designed for a different purpose and may be certified to reduce specific substances in the water you consume.

For many homes, thinking about water in these two categories makes the conversation much easier:

Water for the home.

and

Water for the body.

The treatment needs aren't necessarily the same.

How to Find Your Water Quality Report

If you're served by a public water system, your annual Consumer Confidence Report should be available from your water supplier.

Search for your city's or utility's name followed by “Consumer Confidence Report” or “Water Quality Report.”

When you open it, don't just look for a statement saying the water meets federal standards.

Look deeper.

Find the source of your water. Look at what's being tested. See what's being detected. Compare the results with the applicable standards. And if you don't understand something, ask questions.

It's your water. You should understand it.

The Bottom Line for Iowa Homeowners

Your annual water quality report isn't something that needs to be intimidating.

It's information.

And good decisions about water start with good information.

Learn where your water comes from. Understand what's being detected. Know the difference between regulatory compliance and your personal water-quality preferences. Test your individual water when appropriate.

And if you're considering treatment, make sure the equipment you're buying has documented performance for the problem you're trying to solve.

Don't start with the water treatment system. Start with the water.

About Brook Haas

Brook Haas is the owner of BrightWater Kinetico in Central Iowa and has more than 16 years of experience in the water-treatment industry. He works with homeowners, businesses, builders, and community organizations to better understand local water-quality challenges and identify appropriate treatment solutions.

Suggested website resources:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Consumer Confidence Reports
Iowa Department of Natural Resources — Drinking Water
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services — Drinking Water & Private Wells