getting tap water tested

flamencogal · August 2009

Anyone else on well water? We're thinking about getting our water tested b/c Scott is now drinking a lot of water and I don't want to have to buy all bottled water for him. I'm going to try googling it but thought I'd ask here in case anyone has had their water tested.

raceyrae · August 2009

Ours is well water through Aqua NC. I just called Aqua to find out the fluoride contents (if that's what you're concerned about). It was pretty much non-existent so Natalie's now drinking Nursery Water that we get from BRU ($3 for a 10 gal (?) jug).

mrsmikey · August 2009

raceyrae:
Ours is well water through Aqua NC. I just called Aqua to find out the fluoride contents (if that's what you're concerned about). It was pretty much non-existent so Natalie's now drinking Nursery Water that we get from BRU ($3 for a 10 gal (?) jug).

We have Aqua NC as well, and get a yearly (I think) report of our water tests. You can also buy test kits yourself, but I'm not sure how accurate they are.

What are you concerned with in your well? We were concerned with contaminants, so ended up getting a water filter, cheaper and less waste than bottled water.

kaysi82 · August 2009

our pedi gave us a little tube that we mail water in to have tested, and they send them the results.
ours is also well water from aqua. they send a printed report every....
quarter (?) but we couldn't find one. I don't think there is fluoride in it.
eventually, we'll have it tested i guess.

flamencogal · August 2009

Yes, our water also has essentially no flouride in it either. I think we're going to do some nursery water too for flouride, although he gets city water at daycare. DH and I were just talking and thought it would be good to get the water tested for bacteria and all the minerals (lead, iron, copper, etc) just to make sure everything is OK. We can't remember for sure but we don't think the water was tested when we bought the house. Just to be safe.

I found the info if anyone is interested:

Call Wake County Health Dept (856-7400) to get all the info. But essentially you go to the Health Dept, pick up a collection kit, collect the samples and take them back. They will analyze and give you the results. For this option the cost is $25 for the bacteria test and $50 for the "inorganic" test ($75 for both). You can also have someone come to your house but I didn't ask about the cost for that.

mrsmikey · August 2009

Our water doesn't have flouride either, but our pedi doesn't support adding flouride to his diet, so we don't have to worry about it.

It's never a bad idea to get your water tested though, you never know!

flamencogal · August 2009

mrsmikey:
Our water doesn't have flouride either, but our pedi doesn't support adding flouride to his diet, so we don't have to worry about it.
It's never a bad idea to get your water tested though, you never know!

This is actually confusing to me. If we were on city water I don't think our pedi would recommend buying only bottled to avoid the flouride. And nursery water is essentially bottled city water, right? Has the same amount of flouride as city water? We aren't doing any flouride supplements or anything and the dentist seems to think as long as he's getting city water at daycare we don't need to worry about it at home. So that's good but this whole flouride debate is confusing to me!

mrsmikey · August 2009

It's all confusing, and everyone says something different. That's why we're not doing it. Unless someone can actually show me that it's better, why go through the trouble and spend more money? And if the people that say in can be bad are right, then not only have I wasted time and money, but I've risked my son's health. So I don't know who's right, but together with our pedi we decided it's not necessary.

And I *thought* they stopped adding flouride to school water, didn't they? I don't know anything about city water or how much flouride is in it, or how it compares to nursery water. Eli has been on bottled or filtered water his entire life and our pedi is fine with that. He said the flouride treatments he'll get at the dentist when he's older are all he needs. So who knows?!

I guess I feel like we don't necessarily need to avoid it, but we also don't need to bother adding it either. Are you sure the daycare uses city water that hasn't been filtered? I would ask to make sure, if it's important to you. I have no idea what our center does, since I still take in all of Eli's fluids.

flamencogal · August 2009

Hmmm...I don't know--I'll have to ask. I was under the impression that the main water supply has some flouride in it. I don't think schools are adding flouride but they use the city's main water supply which does have flouride in it. ? I have no idea what I'm talking about but that's what I inferred from what the dentist was saying. She also said they are moving away from flouride supplements but also recommended getting the topical flouride every 6 mos starting now. I think she was essentially saying that he's probably getting some flouride from the city water at daycare and if we bring him in every 6 mos for cleanings and topical flouride, he should be fine. I was just so happy to hear no flouride supplements so I didn't have to go and research that too along with everything else.

mrsmikey · August 2009

Yeah, I really don't know either. I just know there's alot of conflicting information, so I didn't feel compelled to do anything! I do plan on asking the dentist about it, but my dentist doesn't want to see him right now anyway. He said he could just see the pedi until he was older, unless there is a problem. So even that really doesn't help me!

I know when I was growing up I had the flouride treatments every 6 months, and that's what the pedi was talking about being enough. I just don't want to overdose him on flouride. And personally, I think you shouldn't ingest too much flouride (the reason it's not in kid's toothpaste), so I've never really understood drinking it in water. So going by that theory, topical treatments and adult toothpaste would be how he gets flouride. I *think* that's where my pedi was coming from when he told us not to use nursery water.

terpbrideinnc · August 2009

You have a private well?

Lead & Copper comes from your fixtures. Generally, it's not something you need to be concerned with if you house doesn't have copper piping & lead solder, though some cheap fixtures (made in China) can be corroded by water to cause water to be detected. An inorganics test will not test for Lead or Copper. Iron is not a contaminant that is considered a health risk, but if you had high levels you'd notice (black) discoloration in your water. It's definitely good to have it tested for bacteria - the bacteria they test for are not necessarily be the harmful type, but it does show if there is a breach in your well, a pathway for other harmful bacteria to enter.

terpbrideinnc · August 2009

mrsmikey:

We have Aqua NC as well, and get a yearly (I think) report of our water tests. You can also buy test kits yourself, but I'm not sure how accurate they are.

What are you concerned with in your well? We were concerned with contaminants, so ended up getting a water filter, cheaper and less waste than bottled water.

I don't mean to ruin your security with your filter, but those things are generally bacteria colonies. Municipalities won't test water that comes through a filter b/c it's basically guaranteed to come back positive in bacteria testing. They might help with taste & odor concerns (contaminants that are unregulated b/c they are not health risks), but they don't do anything to make your water healthier.

terpbrideinnc · August 2009

mrsmikey:

And I *thought* they stopped adding flouride to school water, didn't they?

I guess I feel like we don't necessarily need to avoid it, but we also don't need to bother adding it either. Are you sure the daycare uses city water that hasn't been filtered?

Everyone in a water system gets the same water. And I would bet you a million bucks that the daycare does not filter flouride out of the water.

mrsmikey · August 2009

terpbrideinnc:
mrsmikey:

We have Aqua NC as well, and get a yearly (I think) report of our water tests. You can also buy test kits yourself, but I'm not sure how accurate they are.

What are you concerned with in your well? We were concerned with contaminants, so ended up getting a water filter, cheaper and less waste than bottled water.

I don't mean to ruin your security with your filter, but those things are generally bacteria colonies. Municipalities won't test water that comes through a filter b/c it's basically guaranteed to come back positive in bacteria testing. They might help with taste & odor concerns (contaminants that are unregulated b/c they are not health risks), but they don't do anything to make your water healthier.

So what would you suggest? We have really hard water, and it doesn't taste good, so I refuse to give it to Eli unfiltered. I won't even drink it myself. But I also don't want to spend a small fortune on bottled water, or waste that much plastic. And not all of our water is filtered, just the kitchen sink, so it can be properly tested in other areas of the house.

terpbrideinnc · August 2009

Sorry to keep quoting you, Mikey, I wasn't trying to pick on you! I don't really know much about flouride & what's recommended for kids, but I do know about water systems & how they operate.

terpbrideinnc · August 2009

You're talking about one of those filters attached to the faucet, right? I'd just get one of those Brita pitchers and keep it in the refrigerator, I have to imagine those are *not* (edited) as prone to bacteria problems because of the lower temperature and the fact that you aren't splashing your dishes on it. Though I can't say b/c I have no idea how they'd test for comparison. I don't discount that your filter might help with taste & odor problems, but I did want to say that it doesn't filter anything that's actually a health concern.

mrsmikey · August 2009

terpbrideinnc:
You're talking about one of those filters attached to the faucet, right? I'd just get one of those Brita pitchers and keep it in the refrigerator, I have to imagine those are *not* (edited) as prone to bacteria problems because of the lower temperature and the fact that you aren't splashing your dishes on it. Though I can't say b/c I have no idea how they'd test for comparison. I don't discount that your filter might help with taste & odor problems, but I did want to say that it doesn't filter anything that's actually a health concern.

No, we don't have a filter attached to the faucet. It's actually an under-the sink filter that's attached to the water supply coming into the kitchen. Honestly, I have no idea how it would harbor bacteria, but I'm not going to argue that it doesn't. And it only filters the cold water. According to the company that makes it, it does filter things that can be harmful, like some bacteria. I don't have the info here with me, but there were things other than just chlorine and mineral deposits. I *think* we have a better filter than what you're talking about. Defintely better than a Brita pitcher.

And I don't think you're picking on me. You obviously know more about it than I do, so I welcome your opinion!

terpbrideinnc · August 2009

Well, as far as whether bacteria getting into the filter, I suppose it would depend if there are any anti-cyphon devices between the filter and your sink, but I don't know much about what kind of cyphon devices are standard/required within homes. Or perhaps one could be built into the filter. What you have does sound better than a standard screw-on sink filter, I'd be interested to learn more about it. It sounds kind of weird that it'd filter chlorine and bacteria, just because chlorine is treatment to kill bacteria in the first place, so removing it wouldn't help the bacteriological quality of the water, and bacteria typically aren't filtered, just killed. I'm not saying it doesn't do that, I supposed it could have some chemical inactivation thing for the chlorine and UV light for bacteria, I'm just intrigued. Out of curiosity, do your neighbors also complain about the water quality?

mrsmikey · August 2009

I'll see if I can find you a link to what we have. DH did most of the research, so I'm not 100% sure what it is.

I've never talked to our neighbors about our water quality. Our neighbors on one side are from Louisiana, so it might be good in comparison! (sorry, that was mean) All I know is I don't like it, but test wise, it tests just fine, according to Aqua NC. We have also tested it ourselves, but I suppose we need to have it tested by someone else. But I know it's hard, there are mineral deposits everywhere, and it makes my CDs repel so I have to use water softener in the wash. I'm sure whatever is in there is probably harmless, but I still don't like it. Especially considering how much we pay Aqua NC.

My mom has a private well, and her water is awesome! I love drinking the water at my mom's.

ETA: Our filter is like this. I'm not sure if it's the same brand, but basically the same thing. But I know there were alot of options as to what the different models filtered, and I have no idea what model we have. So really, ours may filter more or less than this one. But I know we didn't buy the bottom of the line model, so it's probably similar. There's not a lot of detail in the description though.

terpbrideinnc · August 2009

Yeah, if the water in Louisiana is like the water on the coast here, they might be accustomed to it being more silt-y. I'm not sure how much you'd get out of testing it yourself, it's unlikely to be as extensive as the testing Aqua does. If you're interested in looking up the results to every contaminant they test, you can go to https://www.pwss.enr.state.nc.us/DWW/. But, website is kind of confusing (nice public service), but if you wanted to PM me the name of your water system (subdivision, probably), I can help you look through it. I know it's tough..because the extent the water system is responsible is EPA regulated contaminants which have health effects, but there are other things that can make water displeasing and Aqua is under no obligation to correct....which kind of leaves the customers in a bad spot.

mrsmikey · August 2009

OK, now I feel like an idiot. I just talked to DH, and he corrected me in that our water comes from Davidson Co, and Aqua NC handles our sewer. So we have public water, and community sewer. But I'm guessing what you said is still true, they only have to correct things that are a health issue. Would the website you posted still work, or is that just for private systems?

ECUPirate04 · August 2009

This whole post makes me wonder if we should get our water tested. It was test a year and a half ago when we moved in? Hmmm

terpbrideinnc · August 2009

It would still work. I don't see one named Davidson County, but there's one called "Davidson Water, Inc" that looks like it serves a pretty wide area

mrsmikey · August 2009

terpbrideinnc:
It would still work. I don't see one named Davidson County, but there's one called "Davidson Water, Inc" that looks like it serves a pretty wide area

That's probably us. I think that's what our bill says.

terpbrideinnc · August 2009

So, here's a link to sampling results for Organic Compounds. Each row is a sampling date, click the link under "Sample No" to get the list of contaminants tested on that date. If there was a detection of the compound, it's listed under "concentration"

This is the same thing for Inorganics. Looks like some compounds were tested some years and not others - probably just different requirements, otherwise there would be a violation for failure to monitor (there isn't).

They also test for lead & copper, bacteria (total/fecal coliform), and disinfection byproducts (THHM & HAA5). Detection of these contaminants are inevitably present in any large water system, especially surface water ones like yours. Lead, copper, and disinfection by-products are contaminants that have worst-case scenerio locations and worst-case scenerio circumstances (hot summer months), and are required to be tested under these scenerios. The results for these contaminants vary from location to location and it wouldn't be worth your $ to test them in months other than the summer, if you want a true worst-case representation of your water quality. Your system seems pretty good on Lead & Copper levels, though that varys house to house. If your house doesn't have lead & copper piping, it shouldn't be a big concern for you. If it does, it might be worth testing. Looks like the system struggles with disinfection byproducts levels during summer months, which isn't unusual for surface water. How bad it could be in your house would depend on the size of the lines going by your house, how many customers are connected after you, and how good they flush their lines.

Anyway, this just gives you an idea what they test for so you won't waste money testing something they have already done.

mrsmikey · August 2009

Thank you SO much Terp! This is awesome, and I'm defintely going to show DH. We don't have lead or copper pipes, so we're probably good there. Looks like we have some research to do

ETA: What does it mean that there were high sodium levels? Is that bad?

terpbrideinnc · August 2009

I don't know think it's necessarily considered "high", it's just listing the amount that's present. I found this on the EPA website about sodium and normal ranges for consumption, and how you can figure out how the drinking water contributes to your daily requirements. I also looked up Raleigh's sodium level, and it was 28 mg/L, so I'm guessing it's a fairly normal that there be some present, though I honestly don't know much about it b/c it's not regulated.

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