A: According the to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), no.  They say-

• High concentrations of calcium and magnesium in the softener backwash water have no deleterious effect on the biological function occurring in the septic tank and may, in some cases, be helpful.
• The additional volume of wastewater generated is added slowly to the wastewater stream, and does not cause any hydraulic overload problems.
• Soil structure in the soil absorption field is positively affected by the calcium and magnesium ions in water softener effluent.

Some argue that water softeners can add to the overall salinity of soils and waterways. This can be true. In large municipalities where hundreds of thousands of people dump discharge water into one main system can be harmful because of the amounts of salt being dumped.  But, for a normal residence on a private septic, (especially in Alaska) this is not the case.

For additional information on septic systems and water softener discharge please see The Effect of Water Softener Discharge on Septic Systems on the CAI website.

A: Testing for all contaminants can be expensive and is not usually necessary.

At the very least, checking for coliform bacteria and arsenic should be done. Both can have health effects.

Nitrates are less prevalent than coliform bacteria and arsenic but have been found in high quantities in Alaska. You should consider testing for these.

More information on testing can be found at our Water Analysis Page.

More information on contaminants can be found at the EPA Drinking Water Contaminants page.

A: First and foremost, testing your water for contaminants like bacteria, arsenic and nitrates is important in knowing whether your water is “safe.” Once you know that your water is free of bacteria and has an acceptable level of arsenic and nitrates, your water is basically safe. (*I am referring to well water from protected sources- if you are drinking water from a contaminated site, or from a pond, lake, river or stream, there may be different contaminants to look for.)

In regards to softened water being safe for consumption, there is virtually no reason that it would be considered harmful. Softeners and conditioners work by removing calcium and other hard minerals from the water. Sodium ions are exchanged in the process, and there are slightly higher levels of sodium (salt) in the water.

In very rare cases a doctor may put a patient on a sodium reduced diet and request that the patient not drink softened water. This is because a salt solution is used to clean the resin inside of the softener and may add a minute amount of sodium into the softened water. This amount is so negligible that a doctor would most likely only recommend this in special circumstances. If you feel concerned about the salt solution, potassium chloride is available as a substitute for regular water softener salt.

Reverse osmosis drinking water systems are also a great idea if you are concerned with drinking softened water. These systems remove up to 95% of “stuff” in your water, making water that tastes great and is readily available- and removes any extra sodium you may have. WaterPro recommends a drinking water system for every home: they remove so many contaminants and leave your water tasting great without the wasted time and space of bottled water.

A: American families use a lot of water inside their homes, and the bathroom is the highest consumer of that water. Your toilet alone can take up to 27% of your household water use.

To estimate how much water your family uses, or how much you would need if shopping for a water management system- take a look at the chart below.

Take this into consideration:

• Older toilets use between 3.5 and 7 gallons of water per flush.
• A leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water every day.
• A bathroom faucet generally runs at 2 gallons of water per minute. By turning off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving, a person can save more than 200 gallons of water per month.

For Water Saving tips and ideas, visit the US Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense page.

For more information on low production wells and what to do about them, visit WaterPro’s Low Production Well page.

If you have a storage tank system, keeping sediment from building up is incredibly important to keeping your system running smoothly. Get in those tanks and get that junk out! If you aren’t so excited by that idea, we can do it for you. Here are a few pictures of me on a job- all harnessed in and scrubbing the inside of very large storage tanks. I really enjoy it, so if you don’t, give me a call.

Beyond keeping the storage tanks clean and tidy, disinfection is very important. Disinfection can be defined as: the treatment of water to inactivate, destroy, and/or remove bacteria. You don’t want to house bacteria that may make you sick! There are a few ways to disinfect a system- and chlorine treatment is the most common, and most cost-effective. I’ll focus on chlorine disinfection for this article.

First, WHEN SHOULD YOU DISINFECT? Good question! The basic-maintenance-type disinfection should be done any time you get a positive result on a coliform test, there is suspected contamination, you have plumbing work done, or annually. By annually I mean, if you haven’t had any reason to suspect contamination, then at least disinfect once a year. This will keep any potential bacterial contaminants at bay.

You’ll want to have a very good plan in place, and be aware of EVERY water hose bib, faucet, shower head, and toilet. Oh, and the washing machine and dishwasher too. Think of every place water is used in your home.  You’ll have to run chlorinated water through each of these to make the most of the disinfection (if bacteria is hiding somewhere you don’t reach, it can continue to spread after the disinfection). Be aware that you won’t be able to drink or bathe in your home water for a day or so. Prepare by having your laundry ready, showers taken, and drinking water available.

Once you are ready to begin the process, make sure you TURN OFF the breaker to the well pump. Bypass your water softener, and remove your cartridge filters. *Leave a sediment filter in place if you have high levels of sand or silt. Remove your well cap and pour in enough chlorine to reach 50-100ppm of free chlorine (please call us if you need help figuring out how much chlorine to use).  Let this sit for half an hour to an hour before moving on to the next step.

After the waiting period, turn your well pump back on and begin to run water at ALL locations. Run cold water at all locations first and then run the hot. You don’t want to forget about that water heater! Flush the toilets and run a cycle on the washing machine and dishwasher. Continue to run water at each location until you can smell the chlorine or testing indicates you have reached a high level of chlorine.  Run chlorinated water from a hose bib down the well casing to make sure you disinfect the well itself above the water line. Once every location has enough chlorinated water, let the system sit for 6 hours minimum. Overnight works well.

When the system has set for at least 6 hours, you can begin to flush. Begin by running exterior hose bibs until the water looks and smells better. Then run water at all other locations until the water is clear and doesn’t smell like chlorine.

Be aware that chlorine can do a lot more than disinfect. Chlorine also oxidizes dissolved minerals and other things in your water that will be visible to you while flushing. Your water may look worse than usual for a few days after a disinfection. Be patient, and within a week your water will be back to normal, and you will have most likely killed any bacteria that may have been present.

Safety tips that must be heeded while doing a disinfection:

• Keep chlorine away from children and animals.
• Wear clean gloves and wear eye protection.
• Keep your hands away from your eyes, mouth, nose and clothing.
• Keep the high strength chlorinated water off of your skin and clothing.
• Make sure EVERYONE in your house is aware of the process and make sure they don’t ingest any of the water, or use it to wash clothes. You don’t want anyone to get hurt or anything to be ruined.
• It’s always a good idea to put signs up at all potable water locations. That way any random visitor won’t be hurt.

If you don’t feel like this is something you want to tackle on your own, give us a call. We offer disinfection services for residential clients for $325. Contact us with any questions at 888-373-4624.

We will be updating regularly, posting articles on water treatment, local water issues, community service work and more.  Feel free to ask questions, post comments, and join us on the journey to clean, healthy water.

Get ready for the “WaterShow with WaterPro,” Sunday nights at 7PM starting August 22 on AM 1430 Hometown Radio!