Problem
|
Symptom
|
Cause
|
Treatment
|
Hard Water
|
|
Soap curd and scum in wash basins and bathtub, or white
scaly deposits in pipes, water heater or appliances.
|
Calcium and magnesium salts |
Cation-exchange water softeners |
Grittiness
|
|
Abrasive texture to water when washing, or residues in sink |
Very fine sand particles or silt in the water that is able
to pass through the well screen
|
Use a sand trap or ultrafiltration |
Odors
|
|
Musty, earthy or woody smell |
Usually harmless organic matter |
Activated carbon filter |
|
Chlorine smell
|
Excessive chlorination |
Activated carbon filter |
|
Gasoline or oil smell
|
Possible leak in fuel oil tank or other underground tank
leaking into water supply
|
There is no practical residential treatment system
available. It is essential to locate and remove underground source.
Activated carbon filters can provide some treatment
|
|
Rotten egg odor |
Dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas in water supply |
Manganese greensand filter will help with over 6 mg/L when
pH is not lower that 6.7
|
|
|
Presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria in water supply |
Constant chlorination followed by activated carbon
filtration
|
|
|
Action of magnesium rod in hot water heater in the presence
of soft water
|
Remove magnesium rod from heater |
|
Detergent odor or foaming water |
Septic tank leaking into groundwater supply |
Eliminate source and shock-chlorinate well
Activated carbon filter will adsorb a limited amount
|
|
Methane gas (caution required; gas is explosive and toxic) |
Naturally decaying organic material found in:
- Shallow water wells near swamps
- Housing areas built above or near old landfills
- Aquifers overlying oil fields
|
Residential/commercial aeration system and re-pump |
|
Phenol (chemical) odor |
Industrial waste seeping into groundwater |
Activated-carbon filter will adsorb for a short time before
filter capacity is exceeded.
|
Pesticides
|
|
Sharp chemical odor in water |
Leaching of applied pesticides into groundwater |
Activated carbon filter will help for short time; continue
to monitor the treated water
|
Taste
|
|
Salty or brackish |
High sodium content |
Deionize drinking water only with disposable mixed-bed
(anion-cation) resins
Reverse osmosis for drinking water only
Install home distillation system
There is no economical treatment for residences when sodium levels exceed
1800gm/L
|
|
Soda taste, slippery feel |
High total dissolved solids that are alkaline in nature |
Use reverse osmosis to reduce levels. If the level of
alkalinity is greater than 3.080 mg/L there is no economical treatment for
the home
|
|
Metallic taste |
Very low pH (3 to 5.5) |
Calcite-type filter (see acid water) |
|
|
High iron content (over 3 mg/L)
|
See heading for iron/reddish under appearance category |
Appearance
|
Turbidity (cloudiness) |
Silt, clay, or suspended particles in water |
Silt or sand from well |
Sand trap and/or new well screen |
Acidic water |
Green stains on fixtures and/or a blue-green tint to the
water
|
Water high in carbon dioxide content (with a pH below 6.8)
that reacts with brass and copper plumbing
|
Calcite filter to neutralize pH if above 5.5
Calcite/magnesia-oxide mix at a 5 to 1 ratio to correct very low pH
Soda ash chemical feed followed by filtration
|
Black cast to water
|
Black stains on fixtures and laundry |
Interaction of carbon dioxide or organics and manganese in
the soil. Above 0.05 mg/L manganese causes staining, and is usually found
combined with iron
|
Chlorination followed by filtration
Oxidizing filter
Ozonation
Water Softener
Oxidation with potassium permanganate
|
Reddish or discolored water (from iron) |
Red-brown stains on sinks and other porcelain fixtures;
water turns reddish brown during cooking or heating; stains on laundry
|
Indicates more than 0.3 mg/L dissolved iron present. Water
appears clear when first drawn from cold water tap
|
Water softener and minimum pH of 6.7 (unaerated) will remove
0.5 mg/L or iron for every 17 mg/L or hardness
For iron levels over 10 mg/L, chlorination in a retention tank that allows
for oxidation, followed by filtration/dechlorination
In warmer climates, residential aerator and filtration will substantially
reduce iron
|
|
|
Precipitated iron (water is discolored when drawn) |
If pH is higher than 6.7, a manganese greensand filter will
remove up to 10 mg/L or iron.
If pH is higher than 6.8 and oxygen is 15 percent of the total iron content,
try manganese treated, nonhydrous aluminum silicate filter
Downflow water softener with good backwash will remove up to 1 mg/L
To remove more than that, use a calcite filter followed by downflow water
softener
|
|
|
Iron dissolved from old pipe with pH below 6.8 |
Calcite filter to remove precipitated iron |
|
Brownish cast that does not precipitate and drop out of the
water
|
Organic (bacterial) iron |
Shock chlorinate well, and follow with constant chlorinate
well, and follow with constant chlorination and filtration.
Chemical feed of potassium followed by permanganate and then filtration
|
|
Reddish color in water sample after standing 24 hours |
Colloidal iron |
Constant chlorination followed by filtration with activate
carbon to remove chlorine
|
Milky water
|
Water cloudy when drawn
|
Precipitate sludge that is created when water is heated |
Flush water heater from time to time |
High volume of air in water from poorly functioning pump |
Water will generally clear quickly after standing |
|
|
Excessive coagulant-feed being carried through filter |
Reduce coagulant quantity being fed
Service filters properly
|
Yellow water
|
Yellowish tint to water after softening and/or filtering
|
Tannins (humic acids) present from water passing through
peaty soil or decaying vegetation
|
Anion-exchange
Chlorination with full retention time followed by filtration to remove
chlorine
|
Contaminants with no visible colour, odor or
taste
|
High chloride content in water
|
Blackening and pitting of stainless steel sinks and kitchen
utensils
|
Excessive salt content. note that high temperature drying
concentrates chloride, accelerating corrosion
|
Use chloride-resistant metals
Distillation
Reverse osmosis
|
Fluoride
|
Yellowish or mottled teeth in children.
|
Fluoride above 2.0 mg/L in groundwater
|
Anion exchange
Reduce concentration to 0.2 mg/L with activated alumina
Reverse osmosis
Distillation
|
Nitrates
|
Maximum level set by EPA is 10 mg/L; this level or above is
dangerous for infants
|
Sources include nearby human or animal waste leaching into
well, or heavy use of commercial fertilizers with nitrogen entering the
groundwater
|
Find sources of wastes and take steps to protect wellhead
Anion exchange regenerated with NaCl for water with less than 3 mg/L; verify
treatment level via water quality analysis
Reverse osmosis for drinking and cooking water will remove 65 percent of
nitrate; try to limit original concentration to 25 mg/l as N
Home distillation system for drinking/cooking water
|
Radioactive contaminants
|
The public health authority will post notices.
Radium 226 above 5piC/L and Strontium-90 above 10piC/L are considered health
risks.
|
Naturally occurring in deep wells from phosphate rock or
radium-bearing rock strata; atmospheric fallout or other human related
activities that product nuclear waste
|
Remove cationic radioactivity with cation-exchange water
softener
Treat with mixed bed deionizer for removal of anionic and cationic nuclides
Reverse osmosis should remove 70 percent of nuclides
|
Radon gas given off by decaying radium dissolved in water |
Aeration by faucet aerator to dissipate dissolved radon |
Contaminants with no visible color, odor or
taste
|
Heavy Metals (lead, zinc, copper and cadmium)
|
EPA has established maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for
each metal
|
Industrial waste pollution; corrosion products from plumbing
caused by low pH waters
|
Reverse osmosis
pH adjustment to prevent corrosion of water distribution system
Water softener will remove cadmium, copper and zinc if operated properly
Distillation
|
Arsenic |
EPA maximum is 0.01 mg/L; health risks increase above this
level
|
Natural groundwater contaminant in certain regions;
industrial waste; herbicides and pesticides
|
Reverse osmosis will remove up to 90 percent
Activated alumina
Anion exchange
Distillation
|
Barium |
EPA maximum is 2 mg/L; health risks increase above this
amount
|
Naturally occurring in certain geographic areas
|
Remove using cation-exchange
Reverse osmosis
Distillation
|
Boron |
Inhibits normal plant growth; above 1 mg/L considered
undesirable for human use
|
Naturally occurring in the southwest United States and other
areas
|
Selective anion-exchange resin
Reverse osmosis
Activated carbon
Distillation
|
Cyanide |
No visible color, taste or odor; above 0.2 mg/L considered
health risk
|
Industrial waste pollution from electroplating, steel and
cooking facilities
|
Continuous chlorination and activated-carbon filtration of
metals after pH adjustment
Anion exchange
Reverse osmosis
|
Trichloroethylene (TCE)
|
Notice from Public Health Department
|
Waste degreasing and dry cleaning solutions entering surface
or groundwater supplies
|
Series of activated-carbon filters and constant monitoring
between units for breakthrough
Aeration
Boiling
|