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Common Water Quality Problems and Their Methods of Treatment

Learning Center Categories: Water And Health Learn About Water Quality Water Can Heal! Contaminants Fact Sheets Top Water News       Facts On Reverse Osmosis Water Filters: Reverse osmosis is the finest water filtration method known. This process will allow the removal of particles as small as ions from a solution. Reverse osmosis is used to purify water and remove salts and other impurities in order to improve the color, taste or properties of the fluid. Reverse osmosis uses a membrane that is semi-permeable, allowing the fluid that is being purified to pass through it,while rejecting other ions and contaminants from passing. Most reverse osmosis technology uses a process known as crossflow to allow the r.o. membrane to continually clean itself. The process of reverse osmosis requires a driving force to push the fluid through the membrane, and the most common force is household water pressure or pressure from a pump. The higher the pressure, the larger the driving force. The most common use for reverse osmosis is in purifying high quality drinking water. It is used to produce water that meets the most demanding filtration specifications that are currently in place.

Water And Health   Learn About Water Quality     Water Can Heal!   Contaminants Fact Sheets   Top Water News The "Truth" on our water Contaminants and health effects Water quality problems and solutions Sources of our drinking water Standards for drinking water Hard and soft water pH value of water Filtration OR Purification? Myth on minerals and water Popular filtration methods explained How to test your water pressure How to set up your own well Swimming/chlorine: protecting your skin and hair How tap water is treated and delivered The bottled water purification process Safe to drink the water from a private well? How Filters can prolong the life of water pipes Drinking water quality and acid rain More Topics... The following chart is intended to serve as a general guide for consumers in determining the cause of problems with their water that can be felt, smelled, tasted, or seen. In some cases, these symptoms may indicate a serious problem -- in others, only the taste and smell of tap water (its aesthetics) may be affected. A. Sense of Feeling Impurity or Contaminant Symptom Cause Health Effects Means of Treatment Hard Water Soap curd, and scum in wash basins & bathtub. Whitish scale deposits in pipes, water heater & tea kettle. Calcium (limestone) and magnesium salts. Aesthetic only. However if consumed, could lead to kidney/ bladder stones Cation exchange water softener or reverse osmosis. Grittiness Abrasive texture to water when washing or residual left in sink. Excessively fine sand, silt in water. Various -- sand could trap contaminants Sand trap in ultra-filtration.   B. Sense of Smell Impurity or Contaminant Symptom Cause Health Effects Means of Treatment Odor Musty, earthy or wood smell. Generally, harmless organic matter. Aesthetic only Activated carbon filter. Chlorine smell. Excessive chlorination. Could occur from formation of disinfection byproducts Dechlorinate with activated carbon filter. Rotten egg odor - tarnished silverware. 1. Dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas. 2. Presence of sulfate reducing bacteria in raw water. Various effects 1. Manganese greensand filter - constant chlorination followed by filtration/ dechlorination. 2. Constant chlorination followed by activated carbon filter. Hot water, rotten egg odor. Action of magnesium rod in hot water heater. Various Effects Remove magnesium rod from heater. Detergent odor, water foams when drawn. Seepage of septic discharge into underground water supply. Disease-causing microorganisms may be present 1. Locate and eliminate source of seepage - then heavily chlorinate well. 2. Activated carbon filter will adsorb limited amount. Gasoline or oil (hydro-carbon) smell. Leak in fuel oil tank or gasoline tank seeping into water supply. Fuel components may be toxic or carcinogenic No residential treatment. Locate and eliminate seepage. Methane gas. Naturally occurring caused by decaying organics. Various effects Aeration system and repump. Phenol smell (chemical odor). Industrial waste seeping into surface or ground water supplies. Various -- compounds may be carcinogenic Activated carbon filter will adsorb short-term.   C. Sense of Taste Impurity or Contaminant Symptom Cause Health Effects Means of Treatment Taste Salty or brackish. High sodium content. Aesthetic only 1. Deionize drinking water only with disposable mixed bed - anion/cation resins; or 2. Reverse osmosis; or 3. Home distillation system. Alkali taste. High dissolved mineral containing alkalinity. (Stained aluminum cookware.) Aesthetic only Reduce by reverse osmosis. Metallic taste. 1. Very low pH water (3.0-5.5). 2. Heavy iron concentration in water above 3.0 ppm Fe. 3. Leaching of lead and copper Various -- depends on cause 1. Correct with calcite type filter (see Acid Water). 2. (See Iron Water).   D. Sense of Sight Impurity or Contaminant Symptom Cause Health Effects Means of Treatment Turbidity Dirt, salt, clay. Suspended matter in surface water pond, stream or lake. Turbid water may contain disease causing microorganisms "Calcite" or Neutralize (media) type filter - up to 50 ppm Sand grit, silt or clay substances. Well sand from new well or defective well screen. Turbid water may contain disease causing microorganisms Sand trap and/or new well screen Rust in water. Acid water causing iron "pick-up." Turbid water may contain disease causing microorganisms Neutralizing calcite filter to correct low pH acidity and remove precipitated iron Gray string-like fiber. Organic mater in raw water algae, etc. Turbid water may contain disease causing microorganisms Constant chlorination followed by activated carbon filter to dechlorinate. Acid water Green stains on sinks and silver, porcelain bathroom fixtures. Blue-green cast to water. Water which has high carbon dioxide content (pH below 6.8) reacting with brass and copper pipes and fittings. Could lead to health effects if acid water causes leaching of lead and copper 1. Neutralizing calcite filter down to pH of 5.5, or 2. Calcite/ Magnesia - oxide mix (5 to 1) for higher flow rate and to correct very low pH water. 3. Soda ash chemical feed followed by filtration. Discolored water red, "Iron" water Brown-red stains on sinks and other porcelain bathroom fixtures. Water turns brown-red in cooking or upon heating. Clothing becomes discolored. 1. Dissolved iron in influent (more than 0.3 ppm Fe+) water appears clear when first drawn at cold water faucet. Above 0.3 ppm Fe causes staining. Various effects 1. Can remove 0.5 ppm of Fe+ for every grain/gal of hardness to 10 ppm with water softener and minimum pH of 6.7. 2. Over 10 ppm Fe+ chlorination with sufficient retention tank time for full oxidation followed by filtration/ dechlorination. 3. In warm climates residual aerator and filtration will substantially reduce iron content. 2. Precipitate iron (water will not clear when drawn). Various effects 1. Up to 10 ppm iron removed by manganese greensand filter, if pH 6.7 or higher, or; 2. Manganese treated, non-hydrous aluminum silicate filter where pH of 6.8 or higher and oxygen is 15% of total iron content. 3. Downflow water softener with good backwash, up to 1.0 ppm Fe. Above 1 ppm to 10 ppm use calcite filter followed by downflow water softener. Calcite media type filter to remove precipitated iron. Brownish cast does not precipitate. Iron pick-up from old pipe with water having a pH below 6.8. Organic (bacterial) iron. Various effects 1. Treat well to destroy iron bacteria with solution of hydrochloric acid then constant chlorination followed by activated carbon media filtration and dechlorination. 2. Potassium permanganate chemical feed followed by filtration. Reddish color in water sample after standing 24 hours. Colloidal iron. Various effects Constant chlorination followed by activated carbon media filter dechlorination. Yellow water Yellowish cast to water after softening and/or filtering. Tannins (humic acids) in water from peaty soil and decaying vegetation. Various effects 1. Adsorption via special macro-porous Type I anion exchange resin regenerated with salt (NaCl) up to 3.0 ppm. 2. Manganese greensand or manganese treated sodium alumino-silicate under proper set of conditions. Milky water Cloudiness of water when drawn. 1. Some precipitant sludge created during heating of water. 2. High degree of air in water from poorly functioning pump. 3. Excessive coagulant-feed being carried through filter. 1. Various effects 2. Aesthetic only 3. Various effects 1. Blow down domestic or commercial hot water heater tank periodically. 2. Water will usually clear quickly upon standing. 3. Reduce coagulant quantity being fed, service filters properly. Very high chloride content in water Blackening and pitting of stainless steel sinks and stainless ware in commercial dishwashers 1. Excessive salt content. 2. High temperature drying creates chloride concentration accelerating corrosion. Various effects 1. Use other chloride resistant metals. 2. Reduce total dissolved solids by reverse osmosis.   Note: This information has been taken principally from a paper titled "Sensitivity: A Key Water Conditioning Skill" by Wes McGowan. The paper was published in Water Technology, September/October 1982. Healthy and Convenient! Our Featured Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System More Topics on Water Quality & Treatment: General water treatment Water quality defined Hydrologic cycle of water Meteoric water and cycle Environmental factors of water Age of ground water Temperature of ground water Water quality of surface water Cistern water quality Summary of water quality and the environment Hard water explained Hard water problems Softened water energy savings Hard water analysis Hard water and soap curd Ion exchange principles More on water softening Home water softener basics Water deionization Lime soda ash water treatment Water softener alternatives 3 Types of basic water TDS-Total dissolved solids Reverse osmosis treatment Alkalinity of water Reverse osmosis and pH Carbon dioxide in water Chloride and sulfate Fluoride in drinking water Hydrogen sulfide in water Nitrate/ nitrogen in water Oxygen in drinking water Silica in drinking water Sodium/methane/ phenol Disease-causing organisms Micro-organism in water1 Micro-organism in water2 Viruses in drinking water Bacteria in drinking water Water disinfect methods1 Water disinfect methods2 Water disinfect-chlorine Dechlorinating filters Q&A Palatability of water Turbidity of drinking water Mechanical filtration Multi-media (depth filters) Color of drinking water

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