Our tap water lookup tool provides a snapshot of your area’s historical water quality and flags contaminants that could pose an issue to your health.

For more specific details, every community water supplier must provide an annual report to its customers, known as a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). The report provides information on your local drinking water quality, including the water’s source, contaminants found in the water and how consumers can get involved in protecting drinking water. Visit EPA’s website to find your local CCR. Source: CDC

Sending a sample of your tap water to a certified lab for testing can be a smart choice to know the full story of your home’s water quality. There are many lab options available, but SimpleLab is one place to start.

Our water is supplied to our homes from either a surface water or groundwater source. Surface water collects in streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Groundwater originates below ground in aquifers and pores and spaces within rocks and is collected by drilling wells and pumping it to the surface.

Water travels to your tap from a surface water or groundwater source through your local water utility or an individual water system, such as a private well. Check the annual Consumer Confidence Report from your water utility for more details.

A private well uses ground water as its water source. Owners of private wells and other individual water systems are responsible for ensuring that their water is safe from contaminants. Source: CDC

This can be hard to tell, and everyone’s definition of “safe” may be different.

The EPA is responsible for ensuring public water supplies within the United States are safe. In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act. This law aims to protect the nation’s public drinking water supply by giving the EPA authority to set the standards for drinking water quality and oversee the states, localities and water suppliers accountable for those standards. In 1986 and 1996, the law was amended to protect drinking water and its sources, which include rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs and ground water wells.

Some physical signs that a contaminant or other unwanted substance may be in your water include:

• Cloudiness
• Discoloration
• Unusual or strong smell
• Unexpected taste

Source: CDC

There are a variety of common in-home filtration options such as water filter pitchers, end-of-tap or faucet-mounted filters, faucet-integrated (built-in) filters, on-counter filters, under-sink filters and whole-house treatment units.

Different water filters have different functions. For example, reverse osmosis filters are the most effective because they reduce a wide variety of contaminants. Some filters are not certified at all, while some are only certified for chlorine, taste and odor but not health contaminants.

You can ensure you purchase a high-quality filter by reading the label to see if it follows standards established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or NSF International. You can also look for an indication that the filter is certified by one of these labs:

• NSF International  
• The CSA Group
• IAPMO Research and Testing
• The Water Quality Association (WQA)

Source: CDC 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets federal standards for water quality across the United States to evaluate water quality information. You can find more details by checking your utility’s Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).

Environmental Working Group (EWG), a third-party non-profit organization, offers data and analysis on water contaminants and applies health-based guidelines, often beyond what the EPA requires, to help you assess your water quality.

The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) is an independent organization that has developed certifications to protect water, food, consumer products and more. When a product is certified against NSF standards, that means the system meets the standard for a particular certification.

EPA regulations that protect public water systems do not apply to privately owned wells or other individual water systems. Owners of private wells are responsible for ensuring that their well water is safe from contaminants. It is recommended that private well water is tested every year as the water chemistry in the well can change due to various factors.

Sending a sample of your well water to a certified lab for testing can be a smart choice to know the full story of your home’s water quality. There are many lab options available, SimpleLab is one place to start. Source: CDC 

TDS stands for total dissolved solids and represents the total concentration of dissolved substances in water. TDS is made up of inorganic salts and a small amount of organic matter. These minerals can originate from several sources, both natural and as a result of human activities.

Alone, a high concentration of dissolved solids is usually not a health hazard. In fact, many people buy mineral water, which has naturally elevated levels of dissolved solids. Since most people view TDS as an aesthetic factor, the preferred level of dissolved solids in water is largely based on opinion.  

High mineral content can cause hard water buildup in pipes, on plumbing fixtures and in water boilers or coffee makers. The Clarifi RO system reduces TDS by around 90-95% while our optional remineralizer adds small amounts of calcium and magnesium back in for taste, but not to the high levels associated with hard water buildup

Water with low TDS can still contain contaminants, making it important to buy filters certified for the contaminants you’re worried about or ones with broad protection. Source: Safe Drinking Water Foundation