How Safe is Your Water?
Often people associate the safety of their water by the way it looks, smells and tastes.
Many contaminants in water are colourless, odourless and tasteless. They are "hidden" in the water. Some water can have offensive odours, discolouration, staining and highly visible contaminants, these sources are easily identified as potentially harmful. Water Testing is the only way to identify what contaminant is present.
There are justified concerns over bacteria counts in water. This is why most people test their water.
Local Health Units test for Coliform and E-Coli, two very harmful bacteria. These are unquestionably very important tests and one part of the overall water safety. When you send a water sample to a Health Unit they do not test for pesticides, herbicides, oils, chemicals, lead, arsenic or any other potential contaminants. The paperwork clearly indicates that this test is a Bacterial Analysis of Drinking Water and the test results indicate Evidence of Bacterial Contamination. This concept is not always fully understood and can be mistaken to be an indicator of Overall Drinking Water Quality. The Health Unit test is very important but understanding the test results and what is being tested for is just as critically important.
Municipal water is regulated and tested regularly. Chlorine is generally used as the primary disinfectant. Many people have adverse reactions to chlorine and offensive odours can be present in the water supply. Studies have definitively linked chlorine by-products to the formation of trihalomethanes, a known carcinogen.
At Wahl Water we believe the safety of your water source is based on Organic, Inorganic, Chemical and Bacterial Contaminants.
Testing for all of these components is available and can provide a more accurate picture of what is in your water supply.
