Don’t Drink the Water – Florida’s Water Quality Crisis
What do you think of when I say South Florida? I’m sure some of the many things that come to mind are sun, sand, beaches, tourists, and of course water. So let’s spend a little time talking about the last item on the list, water.
A study conducted in 2015 by the Natural Resources Defense Council has concluded that here in the sunshine state we have the second WORST drinking water quality in the continental United States. Texas takes the top prize and Puerto Rico is the big winner of the worst water quality period.
In total there were over 85,000 violations of the Safe Water Drinking Act reported across the country in 2015. These violations were for things such things as coliform bacteria, high levels of lead and copper and various other items that if I asked you to have a big glass of them on ice your response would be an immediate big fat no. If you have the time and desire to read the full study you can of course find it here, but be sure to bring coffee.
My long time readers will know what’s coming next. You need, not you should, you need to put water filtration on your home to protect your health. The water district that serves you has a responsibility to deliver what they deem safe water to your home. The problem is that all the infrastructure systems are aging, and beginning to fail on a more and more frequent basis. One failure in one system can lead to hundreds or even thousands of homes and businesses getting water that is contaminated in one way or another.
Before you say you buy bottled water and never drink from the tap, think about a ten-minute shower. The skin is the largest organ in the human body and that nice hot water we all enjoy opens the pores to allow whatever is in the water to be absorbed into our bodies. I have read somewhere along the way that in the aforementioned ten-minute shower, your body can absorb as much chlorine and ammonia as you would get from drinking eight tall glasses of water from the tap. Forget the shower if you will and think about the pot of pasta you cooked the other night for dinner. Did you draw water from the tap or did you use bottled water, and of course there are things like washing your hands and brushing your teeth. Bottled water? I doubt it.
Okay, off the soapbox for now. Of course, you know that if you heed my warnings and are ready to have bottled water quality flowing from every tap in your home we are a click or a phone call away. We can provide several different solutions to treat the water in your home depending on the test results. Water treatment can be as simple as something under the kitchen sink to give you clean drinking water all the way up to miniature water treatment plants on the outside of your home. Plus, there’s no cost to have one of our water treatment specialists test the water in your home, so there’s really no reason not to give us a call.
I remember my first trip to Mexico years ago and the universal advice I got was, “don’t drink the water”, unfortunately, I think that is where we are today.
House Whisperer out!!
