Drinking Water Treatment Systems

If your home water comes from a public water supply, it has been tested and meets EPA standards for drinking water. If you use a private well, however, you are responsible for assuring that the water is safe to drink. This means that you should periodically have your water tested, make sure your well is in proper condition without faulty well caps or seals, and identify and remove potential sources of con-tamination to your well such as leaking septic systems or surface contamination. With a private well, you are also responsible for any treatment your water may need if it contains harm-ful pollutants or contaminants that affect the taste, odor, corrosiveness or hardness of the water. This fact sheet discusses different types of water treatment systems available to homeowners. Addressing the source of the problem is often less costly in the long run than installing and maintaining a water system. For more information on identifying pollutant sources, problems with your well, or help in testing your well water, see the references at the end of this fact sheet. There are many types of water treatment systems available. No one type of treatment can address every water quality problem, so make sure you purchase the type of equipment that can effectively treat your particular water quality issue. The table below can help direct you to the right solution for your prob-lem