Basic Water Types Page 2
- Drinking Water. Water to be used for drinking and cooking must be of high quality. It must meet or exceed the bacteriological and chemical requirements of both the EPA Interim Primary and Secondary Drinking Water Regulations. Since the amount of water used for drinking and cooking is only about 1/2 of 1% of the total water supplied by a community, this amounts to 0.875 gallons per person per day of the 175 gallons per person per day furnished by the community. The remaining amount (over 174 gallons per person per day) is used for a variety of purposes such as sprinkling lawns and irrigation, flushing toilets, fighting fires, cleaning streets, as well as utility commercial, and industrial uses within the community. The Safe Drinking Water act gives individual states the opportunity to set and enforce their own drinking water standards.
- Of course, many commercial establishments (laundries, beauty salons, car washes, etc.), industries (for rinsing and specific processes), and institutions (hospitals, for example for laboratory use, hemodialysis, etc.) will want to provide extremely high-quality water of different types for specific applications at the point of use.
Today, more than ever before, water is what we make it - not only for community water supplies but also for individual water supplies. Point-of-use water treatment today is an extremely viable and readily available means by which water of extremely high quality can be provided. Moreover, since the treatment takes place just before the water is used, point-of-use water treatment also provides distinct and unique advantages in that only the amount of water needed for each specific purpose or application is treated to the desired quality and also that there is virtually no opportunity for recontamination of the water from the distribution system after treatment.
It is important to understand the different types of water and their relation to water quality. This can help to understand the different purposes they are used for. You will not want to water your lawn with purified water or you will not want to be drinking the same water coming out of your sprinklers. Nowadays water sources are more contaminated than before and it is important to have a purification system for your drinking water. Purified drinking water is the most important water to be contaminant-free since it is the water you are putting in your body. Most heavy metals cannot penetrate the skin through showers but can be harmful if they are consumed. It is highly recommended to make sure that the water your family is drinking is being purified and is contaminant-free. Not only will it taste great, but you will also have peace of mind that your water will not cause you or your family any harm.
TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS, HYDROGEN SULFIDE, FLUORIDES, AND OTHER WATER IMPURITIES
