What Is The Tap Water Quality In Austin Texas And Is It Safe To Drink
Texas being the second largest state in the United States has a population of about 28.7 million people. Because of the industrial sector, the economic conditions of the state are stable and strong. The major industries include oil and gas, cattle farming, timber, cotton, and mining. The soil in the state is rich in minerals that support the mining sector.
The enrichment of soil may support the economy, but it is causing problems for households. The major problem is the supply of hard water. This raises questions such as what is the tap water quality in Texas and is it safe to drink? Well, different cities in Texas have different levels of water contaminants. While going through this article, you will find out the quality of water in Austin Texas, and what you can do about it.
What is Hard Water?
Water hardness is the amount of minerals including magnesium and calcium in the water. You can identify the presence of high minerals in the water by washing your hand. When you wash your hand, you notice a film of residue, which indicates that the water contains a high hardness level. You may also notice light brown spots appearing while washing the dishes. A high level of minerals in the water can decrease the efficiency of water heaters. Furthermore, it reduces the life of your home equipment, clogs the pipelines, and increases the expense of heating.
What is the Tap Water Quality in Austin Texas?
After rainfalls, the water accumulates in aquifers and lakes. When the water flows through rocks and other mineral-containing bodies, they gradually melt. Because these rocks are high on minerals, they dissolves the minerals in the water. The hardness of the water depends on the mineral deposits in the area, indicating that the more minerals dissolve with the water the more hardened it is. As Texas is an industrial sector, it includes a high amount of minerals under the soil. Keep in mind that the hardness level of the water depends on the mineral deposits in the water.
On average, the water hardness in Texas is above 200 PPM. Therefore, Texas ranks sixth in the list of states with the highest level of water hardness. Austin has a moderate hardness level of 184 PPM. However, there are numerous states with low minerals such as in Waco, where the hardness level of water is 41 PPM.
On the other hand, States like Midland and San Antonio have a high level of contaminants in water. San Antonio has 357 PPM, while Midlands is at 500 PPM, which is extremely high. If you are living in Texas, you do not have to worry that much about the hardness level of water. However, 184 PPM hardness level of water is still quite high.
How to Improve the Tap Water Quality in Austin Texas
Living in Austin Texas and dealing with the hardness of water can be a headache. Because hard water causes deposits and clogs your pipelines and appliances, it reflects on your household expenses. There are some ways in which you can reduce the hardness level of water, like adding a water softener. However, before that, you need to confirm the level of hardness.
Because water softener replaces the hardness ions with Sodium, you will end up having water with high sodium. Therefore, it would be best to test your water supply for water quality. This is a one-time expense and will help you choose the best technology for purifying the water from contaminants.
After identifying the calcium and magnesium ion quantity, you can pick a water filtration system that suits your needs. There are several systems you can go with, such as the reverse osmosis system or whole house filtration system. These systems will filter the water and enable you to access pure water. People also use was water softening systems for softening the water, but this system comes with various setbacks.
Many residents of Austin think that water softening is the only option, but this traditional method is unhealthy and expensive for water treatment. Because this method includes the ion-replacement process to reduce the minerals in the water, it increases the sodium component too.
Increased sodium consumption can result in various health issues. If you have high blood pressure, high sodium intake can cause cardiovascular diseases. You can install a salt-free water softening system, for conditioning the water through crystallization. It crystallizes the contaminants in the water without adding any additional components. It will not only positively impact your health but prevent buildup in the pipeline system, decreasing your maintenance expenses.
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Conclusion
If you are living in Texas, you may have concerns about the water quality and whether you can drink water from the tap or not. Drinking hard water is not a problem, but you need to check the level of hardness. Hard water contains minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Even though there are some
