• What effects does the backflow prevention device have on household plumbing?
• Does the Authority recommend using a home water treatment device?
• Is it safe to drink water directly from a garden hose?
• Can lawn care impact local drinking water quality?
• My stainless steel flatware is becoming spotted and starting to stain. Is my water causing this?
• Do you fluoridate your water?
• Have you experienced cloudy water in your home or business during the winter? Water, that when run into a glass or container seems cloudy and then clears from the bottom up in a short time?
• Is bottled water as safe as tap water?
• Since you utilize ozone in your treatment process, do you still need to chlorinate?

What effects does the backflow prevention device have on household plumbing?

In 1988, the North Wales Water Authority began it's Backflow Prevention Program. Backflow preventers are designed to prevent the water in a home from flowing back into the public water system.

However, the installation of backflow preventers may require some modification to your home plumbing. Prior to the installation of the backflow device, the volume of water in your home's pipes, which can expand when heated, could easily flow back into the public water system. With the installation of the backflow preventer, the water pressure in your home may build up, particularly when the hot water system is activated. To prevent thermal expansion, the Authority suggests having a thermal expansion tank installed.

If after the backflow prevention device is installed you notice your faucets leak or the emergency relief valve on the hot water tank is continuously activated, you should call a plumbing professional, as damage to your system may occur.

For many homeowners, merely lowering the temperature on the hot water tank will eliminate the need for plumbing work. A setting between 115-125 degrees is considered appropriate for most household users.

Does the Authority recommend using a home water treatment device?

Customers of the North Wales Water Authority do not need to treat their drinking water at home to make it safe. However, special water treatment units could possibly provide an extra margin of safety for people with severely compromised immune systems or children and elderly who have special needs.

Many over-the-counter devices do more harm than good and can actually compromise the quality of tap water. Point-of-use or fixture devices that incorporate carbon filters eliminate the beneficial chlorine residual from the water and become a perfect environment for micro-organisms to grow. Some may add contaminants or change the water's characteristics.

Customers who choose to purchase any type of home water treatment unit should carefully research product information to understand what they are buying and if the product is really necessary. No single water treatment device will eliminate every drinking water constituent and you must decide which, if any, best meets your needs. Once purchased and installed be certain to follow the manufacturer's instructions for operation and maintenance, especially changing the filter element on a regular basis.

The Authority supplies water that exceeds all requirements of the State and Federal Safe Drinking Water Acts and neither endorses or recommends the use of home water treatment devices.

Is it safe to drink water directly from a garden hose?

No. A standard vinyl garden hose has substances in it to keep the hose flexible. These chemicals, which get into the water as it goes through the hose, are not good for you. They are not good for animals or pets, either, so filling drinking containers for them out of a garden hose is not a good idea unless the water is allowed to run a while to flush the hose before using the water.

Can lawn care impact local drinking water quality?

The safety and fate of herbicides, pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers applied to residential lawns remains somewhat of a mystery. It seems to depend on whom one talks to: environmentalists, scientists, lawn care professionals or water providers as to what answer you will get.

The fact that enormous quantities of these products are being applied to lawns is beyond dispute. The key question is how much of these products are reaching local streams or leaching into groundwater supplies. Stream researchers are frequently detecting a wide variety of these components in both dry weather and storm runoff conditions from residential watershed areas.

The US-EPA estimates that nearly 70 million pounds of active pesticide ingredients alone are applied to lawns each year. Collectively, residential lawns cover over 30 million acres of our country's landscape. Homeowner surveys suggest that herbicides, pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers are regularly applied on roughly half of these acres.

The diversity of these treatments applied to lawns is staggering. Each individual compound differs greatly in its mobility through soil, persistence and potential aquatic impact. It is very difficult to ascertain the exact environmental risk each individual component of the treatment may pose.

While residents do show an increasing awareness about the links between lawn care and water quality, their primary objective still seems to be a sharp looking lawn. Monitoring drinking water supplies for these products remains a continuous process.

My stainless steel flatware is becoming spotted and starting to stain. Is my water causing this?

There is nothing in the water supply that will cause this and there is probably nothing wrong with your dishwasher. However, stains, spotting and pitting found on the surface of flatware can be caused by a number of factors. Here are a few suggestions that may help prevent this problem from occurring.

Flatware and utensils that will be standing for several hours, or longer, prior to machine washing should be rinsed thoroughly. Direct and prolonged contact with foods such as table salt, vinegar, mayonnaise, milk products, salad dressings, tomatoes, fruit juices, seafood and butter can tarnish flatware.

Separate items carefully when loading the flatware basket. Never put dissimilar metal items in the same compartment. Direct contact between stainless steel, steel, chrome and aluminum utensils can cause damage due to electrolysis. Avoid cramming utensils into the basket to allow water to reach all surfaces. This insures each piece is properly washed, rinsed and drained. 

Always avoid any contact between flatware and detergent when filling dispensers. Detergent that adheres to soiled or damp flatware can result in contact corrosion that will appear as blackish spots or pits.

Similar staining and discoloration may also occur on stainless steel and aluminum cookware washed in an automatic dishwasher.

Do you fluoridate your water?

The fluoride issue is one of the most frequent water quality questions that we receive from our customers. There are many schools of thought regarding this matter among scientists, medical professionals and legal experts. Fluoride has become one of our nation's most controversial water supply issues.

Levels of natural fluoride are non-detectable in the water supplies of this area. The North Wales Water Authority does not fluoridate the water we distribute to our customers. Listed below are some of the reasons why we do not fluoridate our water:

• The costs associated with fluoridating the entire water supply are extremely high and we would have little control as to how and where the water is used. Of all the water that the Authority produces and distributes, less than 3% is actually consumed. Most of the water produced is flushed down toilets, used for showers and baths, for cleaning purposes, watering lawns and gardens, fire protection, or a myriad of other non-consumable uses.
• It is impossible to consistently supply any medication through the drinking water system because the effect is proportional to the quantity consumed in relation to the weight and condition of the individual. In addition, people are unique in their sensitivities and their reactions may vary.
• The equipment necessary to add fluoride to the water and regulate the dosage to these strict parameters is very costly and would be needed at each source of supply. The chemicals used in the fluoridation process are extremely toxic, are corrosive to equipment, and pose health-related dangers to operating personnel.
• Many users such as electronics manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and some food processors cannot tolerate fluoride in their process water. For them, removing it from the water is very difficult and extremely costly because the fluoride molecule is very small.
• Fluoride can remain in food and beverages that are processed with fluoridated water. This, in conjunction with drinking fluoridated water, can exceed levels that can initiate adverse health effects.
• People who are 'immune deficient,' undergoing chemotherapy, or are experiencing various other health problems cannot consume fluoridated water.

A half-century after its introduction in the United States, the debate over whether or not to fluoridate the public water supply still remains.

The production and delivery of safe potable water at the lowest reasonable cost is the object of greatest priority to the North Wales Water Authority. We are fortunate to have one of the most technically advanced water treatment facilities in the United States and can provide our customers with an abundant supply of superior quality water to meet their demands. But, as water quality standards are dramatically on the increase and water purveyors are under constant regulatory scrutiny to upgrade systems and initiate new programs, issues such as fluoride need to be addressed in a cost-effective manner that will insure the long-term health and safety of each and every customer.

Have you experienced cloudy water in your home or business during the winter? Water, that when run into a glass or container seems cloudy and then clears from the bottom up in a short time?

This system-wide occurrence, which appears throughout the cold weather months, is related to water temperature. Unlike ground water supplies where water temperature remains relatively constant throughout the year, the temperature of the surface water supply fluctuates seasonally with the weather. As the temperature of the water decreases, the capacity of the water to retain dissolved oxygen increases.

At our Forest Park Water Treatment Plant, ozone is used as the primary disinfectant and injected into the raw and finished water as part of the overall treatment process. The colder the water supply entering the plant, the more entrained oxygen remains in the water throughout this process. As the treated water flows through our distribution system, the temperature rises due to the fact that the mains and piping are buried well below the frost line. As this temperature increase occurs the water must release this dissolved oxygen, but cannot because the distribution system is operated under pressure.

As you run your tap and the entrained oxygen dissipates, the water appears cloudy. The important thing for you, our customer, is to know is that this phenomenon is not an indication of compromised quality or distribution system problems but a natural, physical property of water.

Is bottled water as safe as tap water?

For years, the bottled water industry has distanced itself from tap water by making bold claims about the superior quality of their product. It has been the fastest growing commodity in the beverage industry as consumers grow increasingly convinced that bottled water is a better alternative to tap water. But now the boom is in danger of fading as regulators are asked to set and enforce stricter rules on bottled water and bring it inline with public water supply regulations. Now, the bottled water industry is claiming their product is as safe as tap water.

Unlike public water suppliers who are regulated by both federal and state guidelines, bottled water falls into a gray area with little or no requirements. New regulations could create major changes to an industry in which perceived quality is the most important ingredient.  

Nearly 70 percent of the bottled water sold in the United States is exempt from any FDA contamination limits and specific bottled water standards because it is bottled and sold in the same state. Additionally, products described on the ingredient label as water, carbonated water, disinfected water, filtered water, seltzer water, sparkling water, or soda water are not considered bottled water by the FDA and are not covered under the standards.

Price, appearance and advertising have all contributed to bottled water's success and perceived value. According to the Beverage Marketing Group this strategy continues to work. During the past decade national bottled water revenues have tripled to about $4 billion per year. Americans drank an estimated 3.6 billion gallons of the product in 1998 (about 13.3 gallons per person) and sales have been increasing nearly 10 percent annually.

Unlike the bottled water industry, the North Wales Water Authority is a licensed purveyor of public drinking water. We are regulated by the Federal and Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Acts which require the routine monitoring and reporting of approximately 90 drinking water contaminants. We are also required to provide these results in an annual water quality report to every consumer that we serve.  As a North Wales Water Authority customer, you are guaranteed that we are delivering the finest drinking water available.

Since you utilize ozone in your treatment process, do you still need to chlorinate?

Yes. Chlorine is the most widely used disinfectant in the water treatment process throughout the United States. At our Forest Park Water treatment facility, chlorine is added to the water after final treatment to counteract any potential problems within the distribution system. We are required to maintain a certain level of chlorine, generally .5 to 1.0 milligrams per liter.

Our FPW facility is one of the few ozone plants in the United States. Ozone is a highly effective treatment process and greatly reduces the quantity of chlorine needed to maintain disinfection throughout the distribution system and therefore reduces chlorine byproducts. Ozone is also a stronger oxidant than chlorine and, therefore, destroys a wider range of organic compounds.

However, ozone dissipates quickly and therefore can not be used as an effective disinfectant in the distribution system. This is where chlorine is utilized. Chlorine has a longer life as a disinfectant in the distribution system and serves to inhibit any bacteriological re-growth in the system.

Our ozone treatment process allows us to deliver you the finest drinking water available while minimizing the use of chlorine and lessening the potential for harmful chlorine byproducts.