Access to clean water is essential to keep us hydrated, clean, and healthy. It also helps us wash our dishes and clothes and water our lawns. But having access to water is just not enough. You need clean water to go about daily activities as poor quality water can significantly affect our health and other routine tasks. As a homeowner, the last thing you want is poor quality water in your kitchen sink, tubs, or showers.
What’s the reason behind this poor water quality, though?
Various factors affect the quality and cleanliness of the water you get in your home. While some of these factors are natural and unavoidable, others are caused by humans and can be avoided. This blog will discuss the factors that affect water quality.
7 Key Factors that Affect Water Quality
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Runoff
Runoff is a vital component of the natural water cycle. It occurs when the ground becomes saturated due to heavy rainfall, making the precipitation run off the ground and into the rivers. The runoff water carries many environmental chemicals and dirt.
These toxins can pollute your home’s water supply by seeping into it. As a result, brown water starts coming out of your taps that’s unsafe to consume.
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Pollution
Pollution is one of the main culprits of poor water quality. When elements like pesticides, detergents, and oil get into the water, it becomes polluted and unsafe to drink. There are two types of pollution: point source and non-point source pollution.
Point source pollution occurs when toxins enter the water from identifiable sources - where water companies take water supply from. Point source pollution is fairly easy to control since water companies are obliged by the law to make water safe for people to drink.
On the flip side, non-point source pollution occurs because of the involvement of pollutants from not one but various sources. Elements such as fertilizers, industrial waste, and pesticides contribute to non-source pollution.
This type of pollution is difficult to tackle and is considered the biggest factor affecting water quality.
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Water Usage in the Household
Water usage in your household can also affect the water quality. Pollutants like garbage, pesticides, and oil affect the water quality when it enters the water sewage systems, rivers, and streams.
Excessive use of water can also impact your home’s plumbing systems and other septic systems, as they are built to handle a certain capacity of your household. Over time, you might need to upgrade your sewer system based on your usage.
Make sure you prevent excessive water usage by adjusting or replacing fixtures and garden sprinklers.
Your home’s water usage also affects the plumbing system’s maintenance—the busier your home, the more maintenance activities you need to consider. Otherwise, you end up dealing with numerous clogs and leaks.
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Power of Hydrogen (pH)
Pure water contains a neutral pH - 7. However, with several factors affecting the alkalinity and acidity of water, it’s not always easy to find water with a neutral pH value. Factors such as temperature and soil composition can affect water pH.
Additionally, metals, plants near water sources, and other chemicals like acid precipitation also impact water pH.
Metals such as iron, manganese, copper, and lead tend to leach when exposed to acidic water. Alkaline water causes the formation of calcium deposits, forming scales inside your sewage system’s pipes. As a result, water coming from the supply has a bitter taste and makes your dishes and clothes look dirty.
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Dirty Water Heaters
If you ignore cleaning and flushing out your home’s water heater every year, chances are your home will get poor quality water. Not cleaning the water heater can develop bacteria and sediment over time, making the water unhealthy to drink or clean with.
Make sure you clean your water heater annually to prevent the formation of these pollutants in your household’s water supply.
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Temperature
Temperature is key to determining water quality. The chemistry also impacts the water treatment process by determining the microorganisms that survive in water.
Water sources with high temperatures can easily dissolve chemicals from surfaces, rocks, and other contaminants. That said, warm water has fewer oxygen levels, contributing to the development of various dangerous microorganisms.
On the other hand, cold water can dissolve more carbon dioxide while going through a water treatment process. High carbon dioxide levels make the water acidic along with the pipes and other surfaces it passes through.
In addition, water temperatures can also determine the rate of chemical reactions affecting water quality. Most chemicals react quicker in warm water than in cold water.
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Natural Organic Materials
Natural organic materials such as sediment can enter your household’s water sewage system. These impurities are a result of soil erosion and can affect the ecosystems of the streams and rivers. Over time, the water source accumulates dead organic materials, causing microbial growth.
Some of these microorganisms can cause diseases in pets and humans. Your household’s water supply may have bacteria such as Shigella and Salmonella. Untreated water sources can also contain dangerous viruses such as rotaviruses and noroviruses.
If your water supply contains significant amounts of these microorganisms, you can see symptoms such as diarrhea and nausea. It usually affects the elders and infants. Installing a water filtration system is a must to prevent such diseases.
Final Words
Clean drinking water is one of the most vital human essentials. However, not many people pay attention to the quality of water coming out of their taps. Your water quality impacts many aspects of your life, including health, cleanliness of dishes and clothes, and the flavor of your food.
If you’re observing that poor quality water is coming out of your faucets, it’s time to look for the factors mentioned above. In case it persists, get a professional involved.