Drinking bottled water is a huge waste of finite resources, a source of pollution and a waste of money. Yet, millions of Americans continue to buy bottled water. If you are buying bottled water because you are afraid of the quality in your tap, read on.
If you have a well, have your water tested at a laboratory every two years. If you receive city water, request a copy of your water utility’s annual water-quality report, or test it yourself. To understand the water analysis, contact NSF International (www.nsf.org), a non-profit organization that certifies water-purification systems. They will direct you to a system that fits your needs. Depending upon the results of the test, you may:
1.) Need to do nothing.
2.) Add a water purification system.
3.) Well owners: Install a UV light that kills bacteria and viruses as water passes through its beam. Add a sediment filter to remove sand, silt and other particulates. An additional carbon filter, if necessary, will remove chlorine and other chemicals.
4.) Filter out chlorine and other toxins, odors and bacteria from city water with a facet-mounted or under-the-counter model filtration system. There are also a variety of shower heads to filter out chlorine and other toxins, odors and bacteria.
5.) Run water from the tap several minutes in the morning (collect for plants and such) before using water for drinking and cooking.
6.) Use only cold water for cooking, as hot water dissolves more metals from home plumbing.
7.) Resist buying bottled water unless absolutely necessary. Treating your own water will result in water quality as good—or better—than what you purchase. It is highly wasteful to the environment to purchase water, as petrochemicals are involved in the transportation and in the plastic bottles.
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