What Is Really in My Tap Water?

Is tap water safe and clean? “Clean” water must be free of certain contaminants and have very low levels of others. Yet the fact that water tastes and smells different when you travel to different areas is a giveaway that water quality is anything but consistent.

If you want to know what is in tap water in your local area, reports from your water supplier are a good place to start. You can also buy home water testing kits, which can help you figure out which water filtration system is best for ensuring you have clean, delicious water on tap, every day. 

Common Contaminants Found in Tap Water

The U.S. government reports that 92% of citizens have access to water that’s considered safe under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). However, that doesn’t mean that tap water is always free of contamination.

So, what is in tap water that’s causing it to be less safe in some areas? Some common tap water contaminants include:

• Chlorine

• Sediment

• Minerals that make water “hard”

• Heavy metals (such as lead and copper)

Different regions have different problems with their water supply. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers advice on searching for your local water system and finding out how safe it’s considered. However, not all water systems are included in the EPA database, meaning you may have to find different ways to figure out what’s in your tap water.

Find Out What’s Actually in Your Water

Some of the best ways to find out what’s in your tap water include reading utility consumer confidence reports, using home tests, finding out the age of local plumbing systems, and noting specific odors or flavors.

Utility Consumer Confidence Reports

Consumer confidence reports (CCRs) are provided by water utility companies and give you an overview of what’s in your drinking water and where it comes from. CCRs must adhere to specific EPA regulations, such as meeting certain deadlines. If you don’t receive your CCR by July 1 each year, contact your water supplier to chase this up.

Home Water Tests

If you want to know how to test water at home, you’ll usually need to invest in a home water testing kit. These kits are often contaminant-specific. For example, you may need one kit to test for PFAS and a separate one to test for lead. Some kits will have test strips that show contaminants after a few minutes. Others contain sample holders that you have to send to a lab, whose team will then send you a report once they’ve run tests.

Plumbing System Age

The EPA notes that no matter how rigorously water suppliers test, local plumbing systems may contain contaminants like lead. The age of the plumbing system is a good indicator of possible contamination risk. Homes built before 1986, for example, are very likely to have higher levels of lead in the pipes than newer buildings. That’s because in 1986, the SDWA was adjusted to include a ban on lead piping, meaning most modern homes have acceptably low levels of lead in their pipes.

Specific Water Odor or Taste

If your water smells or tastes earthy or musty, this could indicate the presence of fungus, mold, algae, or bacteria. These organic compounds may be associated with ill health, so the next steps should either be home water testing or integrating effective filtration solutions.

Use Water Quality to Choose Filtration Solutions

Once you have a better understanding of your home's water quality, you can start to consider which filtration option is best. A strong chlorine taste may be removed using activated carbon filters, such as those found in the Brio 11" All-in-One 3-Stage Under Sink Water Filter.

As well as carbon, this compact filtration solution has polypropylene filters to block sediment and rust, as well as advanced Kinetic Degradation Fluxion technology for filtering out heavy metals, including mercury and chromium.

If you’re concerned about multiple contaminants, or you’ve struggled to get specific information about your water supply, a reverse osmosis (RO) filtration system might be a better choice. RO forces water through membranes with incredibly tiny pores capable of blocking molecules as small as 0.0001 microns.

RO technology isn’t just for whole-house or under-sink systems, either. The Brio 4-Stage Reverse Osmosis Filtered Ice + Hot/Cold Water Dispenser - Moderna Series produces hot and cold water, plus ice, at the push of a button — and it’s all RO filtered.

Get a better understanding of what’s in your water and compare effective filtration options, for hydration that tastes as good as it feels.