There are several things in life that we take for granted. Water is very often one of them. Each of us uses this vital liquid, the most common substance on earth, everyday. And we rarely think twice about it.
However, the water we use for cooking, drinking, and countless other domestic tasks will quickly catch our attention when there is some sort of problem. Fortunately, some of the most obvious water problems are also the easiest to solve. The problems we will cover today are aesthetic. Although they are not considered harmful to health, they do affect the look and taste of the water, and may cause it to be undrinkable by some people’s standards. Issues such as taste and odor, color, and turbidity (cloudiness) are all aesthetic water problems, and all have relatively simple solutions. In order to treat these problems, we must first look at their source. Water is known as the universal solvent. Before it reaches our taps, it comes into contact with many different substances, such as gases, minerals, and organic matter. Water picks up traces of these substances, and unfortunately, some of them may cause taste, odor, color, or turbidity problems for the consumer. A common characteristic of water from public systems is the chlorine taste and odor, which is often quite noticeable. Many public water systems treat water with chlorine to disinfect it. Although this is an important step in the treatment of water because it destroys disease-producing bacteria and other harmful organisms that may be present in water, there is no doubt that excess chlorine from the disinfection treatment step can make the water objectionable. In other cases, water with a high mineral concentration may have an unpleasant soda or salty taste, and a metallic taste may be produced by the presence of iron or manganese in water. Many people have also encountered water that contains hydrogen sulfide gas, which creates an objectionable odor. So-called “sulfur water” not only produces the obnoxious “rotten egg” odor, but is also corrosive to plumbing and can cause the rapid tarnishing of silver. Even very low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide are detectable because of the strong odor. Various taste and odor conditions are caused by the presence of organic matter in water. Even when the amount of organic matter is very low, unusual tastes and odors such as musty, fishy, or earthy smells may be found. It is important to note that tastes and odors affect drinking water as well as the foods and beverages prepared with the water What Can I Do? The best thing you can do to find out the quality of your water is to seek out the advice of a reputable water dealer. You should expect to get a free, no obligation water test. If the dealer finds issues, he should give you recommendations so you can make an informed decision about your alternatives. A good dealer will be able to make recommendations that match your water, your lifestyle and solutions properly. Like a doctor, no one should prescribe a solution without first diagnosing the problem. Your test may reveal that you are fine but without one, you wont know. The information in this article was taken directly from The Water Quality Association Technical Brief on Aesthetic Water Quality Problems.
