When it comes to water, the quality of our supply depends on the conditions in which it was sourced, as well as the way it moves and reacts with the air, soil, and other pollutants along its journey from source to tap. If your water’s taste or smell isn’t quite up to par, there are several factors that might be influencing its quality.
Depending on your region and local laws and regulations, these factors might also affect your water’s safety – so it’s important to know what they are:
1. Sedimentation
Sedimentation is caused by particles in the water that are too large to be filtered out. These can come from many sources, including natural erosion, eroding soil from farmland, and building materials and other industrial pollutants. Water suppliers commonly use filters to remove particles that are bigger than 15 m (microns), though some municipal water supplies will filter down to 1 m or less. For example:
2. Dissolved Minerals And Substances
Different sources of water can have different levels of dissolved minerals and substances in them, which can affect their taste.
3. Pathogens
A bacteria, virus or parasite may be present in your water supply – even if you have a filter or purifier system that purifies it completely. These pathogens are generally harmless as long as they aren’t continually exposed to high concentrations of oxygen, but rigorous filtration can kill them before they could multiply to harmful levels where they cause illness.
4. Runoff
Water that runs off of the land into a pond, lake, stream or river may have passed through the water supply in the past. This water can contain pathogens and other contaminants that ended up in the water supply after they were washed away by rainwater.
5. Human Waste
Contaminated human waste can be flushed into waterways as wastewater and make its way to your tap, though it’s unlikely that it would make it from a village well to your kitchen faucet. A study released by the Water and Health Research Foundation found that tap water in developing countries is often contaminated with fecal bacteria and parasites. Though the research was conducted in developing countries, they found that even in developed regions with high standards of living, tap water could sometimes be contaminated with pathogens.
6. Chemical Pollutants
Most chemical substances can be removed through water filtration methods, but some may be able to do damage before they’re filtered out. Such persistent contaminants – like heavy metals – can have a toxic effect even if they’re only present in trace quantities.
7. Temperature
Water temperature can have both a direct and an indirect effect on its quality. In tropical countries, evaporation of water from shallow ponds can lead to increased levels of dissolved salts in the water, while in arid regions where water evaporates quickly, the concentration of these salts can be reduced.
It’s important to understand the various factors that affect the water quality and safety of your drinking water, as well as knowing how to properly maintain your filtration system. Whether you live in a developed region or in a developing country, you can use your knowledge of water quality factors to help protect against contamination from pathogens and other contaminants.
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