Common Water Quality Problems and Their
Methods of Treatment
The following
chart is intended to serve as a general guide for consumers in determining
the cause of problems with their water that can be felt, smelled,
tasted, or seen. In some cases, these symptoms may indicate a serious
problem -- in others, only the taste and smell of tap water (its aesthetics)
may be affected.
A.
Sense of Feeling
Impurity or
Contaminant
Symptom
Cause
Health Effects
Means
of Treatment
Hard
Water
Soap curd, and scum in wash basins & bathtub.
Whitish scale deposits in pipes, water heater & tea kettle.
Calcium
(limestone) and magnesium salts.
Aesthetic only. However
if consumed, could lead to kidney/ bladder stones
Cation
exchange water softener or reverse osmosis.
Grittiness
Abrasive texture to water when washing or residual
left in sink.
Excessively fine sand, silt in water.
Various
-- sand could trap contaminants
Sand trap in ultra-filtration.
B.
Sense of Smell
Impurity or Contaminant
Symptom
Cause
Health Effects
Means
of Treatment
Odor
Musty,
earthy or wood smell.
Generally, harmless organic matter.
Aesthetic only
Activated carbon
filter.
Chlorine smell.
Excessive
chlorination.
Could occur from formation of disinfection
byproducts
Dechlorinate with activated carbon filter.
Rotten egg odor - tarnished silverware.
1. Dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas.
2.
Presence of sulfate reducing bacteria in raw water.
Various
effects
1. Manganese greensand filter - constant chlorination
followed by filtration/ dechlorination.
2. Constant chlorination followed by
activated carbon filter.
Hot
water, rotten egg odor.
Action of magnesium rod in hot
water heater.
Various Effects
Remove
magnesium rod from heater.
Detergent
odor, water foams when drawn.
Seepage of septic discharge
into underground water supply.
Disease-causing microorganisms
may be present
1. Locate and eliminate source of seepage
- then heavily chlorinate well.
2. Activated carbon filter will adsorb limited
amount.
Gasoline or oil (hydro-carbon)
smell.
Leak in fuel oil tank or gasoline tank seeping
into water supply.
Fuel components may be toxic or carcinogenic
No residential treatment. Locate and eliminate seepage.
Methane gas.
Naturally
occurring caused by decaying organics.
Various effects
Aeration system and repump.
Phenol smell (chemical odor).
Industrial
waste seeping into surface or ground water supplies.
Various
-- compounds may be carcinogenic
Activated carbon filter
will adsorb short-term.
C.
Sense of Taste
Impurity or Contaminant
Symptom
Cause
Health Effects
Means
of Treatment
Taste
Salty
or brackish.
High sodium content.
Aesthetic
only
1. Deionize drinking water only with disposable
mixed bed - anion/cation resins; or
2. Reverse osmosis; or
3. Home distillation
system.
Alkali taste.
High
dissolved mineral containing alkalinity. (Stained aluminum cookware.)
Aesthetic
only
Reduce by reverse osmosis.
Metallic taste.
1. Very low pH water
(3.0-5.5).
2. Heavy iron concentration in water above 3.0 ppm Fe.
3.
Leaching of lead and copper
Various -- depends on
cause
1. Correct with calcite type filter (see Acid Water).
2. (See Iron Water).
D.
Sense of Sight
Impurity or Contaminant
Symptom
Cause
Health Effects
Means
of Treatment
Turbidity
Dirt,
salt, clay.
Suspended matter in surface water pond, stream
or lake.
Turbid water may contain disease causing microorganisms
"Calcite" or Neutralize (media) type filter - up to 50
ppm
Sand grit, silt or clay substances.
Well sand from new well or defective well screen.
Turbid
water may contain disease causing microorganisms
Sand
trap and/or new well screen
Rust
in water.
Acid water causing iron "pick-up."
Turbid
water may contain disease causing microorganisms
Neutralizing
calcite filter to correct low pH acidity and remove precipitated iron
Gray string-like fiber.
Organic
mater in raw water algae, etc.
Turbid water may contain
disease causing microorganisms
Constant chlorination
followed by activated carbon filter to dechlorinate.
Acid water
Green stains
on sinks and silver, porcelain bathroom fixtures. Blue-green cast to water.
Water
which has high carbon dioxide content (pH below 6.8) reacting with brass and copper
pipes and fittings.
Could lead to health effects if acid
water causes leaching of lead and copper
1. Neutralizing
calcite filter down to pH of 5.5, or
2. Calcite/ Magnesia - oxide mix (5 to
1) for higher flow rate and to correct very low pH water.
3. Soda ash chemical
feed followed by filtration.
Discolored
water red, "Iron" water
Brown-red stains on sinks and
other porcelain bathroom fixtures. Water turns brown-red in cooking or upon heating.
Clothing becomes discolored.
1. Dissolved iron in influent
(more than 0.3 ppm Fe+) water appears clear when first drawn at cold water faucet.
Above 0.3 ppm Fe causes staining.
Various effects
1.
Can remove 0.5 ppm of Fe+ for every grain/gal of hardness to 10 ppm with water
softener and minimum pH of 6.7.
2. Over 10 ppm Fe+ chlorination with sufficient
retention tank time for full oxidation followed by filtration/ dechlorination.
3. In warm climates residual aerator and filtration will substantially
reduce iron content.
2. Precipitate
iron (water will not clear when drawn).
Various effects
1. Up to 10 ppm iron removed by manganese greensand filter,
if pH 6.7 or higher, or;
2. Manganese treated, non-hydrous aluminum silicate
filter where pH of 6.8 or higher and oxygen is 15% of total iron content.
3.
Downflow water softener with good backwash, up to 1.0 ppm Fe. Above 1 ppm to 10
ppm use calcite filter followed by downflow water softener.
Calcite media
type filter to remove precipitated iron.
Brownish
cast does not precipitate.
Iron pick-up from old pipe
with water having a pH below 6.8. Organic (bacterial) iron.
Various
effects
1. Treat well to destroy iron bacteria with solution
of hydrochloric acid then constant chlorination followed by activated carbon media
filtration and dechlorination.
2. Potassium permanganate chemical feed followed
by filtration.
Reddish color
in water sample after standing 24 hours.
Colloidal iron.
Various effects
Constant chlorination
followed by activated carbon media filter dechlorination.
Yellow water
Yellowish cast to water
after softening and/or filtering.
Tannins (humic acids)
in water from peaty soil and decaying vegetation.
Various
effects
1. Adsorption via special macro-porous Type I
anion exchange resin regenerated with salt (NaCl) up to 3.0 ppm.
2. Manganese
greensand or manganese treated sodium alumino-silicate under proper set of conditions.
Milky water
Cloudiness
of water when drawn.
1. Some precipitant sludge created
during heating of water.
2. High degree of air in water from poorly functioning
pump.
3. Excessive coagulant-feed being carried through filter.
1.
Various effects
2. Aesthetic only
3. Various
effects
1. Blow down domestic or commercial hot water
heater tank periodically.
2. Water will usually clear quickly upon standing.
3. Reduce coagulant quantity being fed, service filters properly.
Very high chloride content in water
Blackening
and pitting of stainless steel sinks and stainless ware in commercial dishwashers
1. Excessive salt content.
2. High temperature drying
creates chloride concentration accelerating corrosion.
Various
effects
1. Use other chloride resistant metals.
2.
Reduce total dissolved solids by reverse osmosis.
Note:
This information has been taken principally from a paper titled "Sensitivity:
A Key Water Conditioning Skill" by Wes McGowan. The paper was published in Water
Technology, September/October 1982.
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