My water smells and or tastes funny. Why? - Florida Department of ...
My water smells and or tastes funny. Why? - Florida Department of ...
My water smells and or tastes funny. Why? - Florida Department of ...
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<strong>My</strong> <strong>water</strong> <strong>smells</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>or</strong> <strong>tastes</strong> <strong>funny</strong>. <strong>Why</strong>?<br />
Symptom Possible Cause<br />
Rotten Egg Od<strong>or</strong> Hydrogen Sulfide<br />
Metallic Taste Copper, Iron, Lead, <strong>or</strong> Zinc<br />
Salty Taste Total Dissolved Solids <strong>or</strong> Chl<strong>or</strong>ides<br />
Septic, musty <strong>or</strong> earthy smell Total colif<strong>or</strong>m bacteria<br />
Bleach like smell Chl<strong>or</strong>ine<br />
<strong>Why</strong> does my sink <strong>or</strong> toilet turn <strong>or</strong>ange?<br />
Symptom Possible Contaminant<br />
Red <strong>or</strong> brown col<strong>or</strong> Iron<br />
Black Manganese<br />
Reddish brown slime Iron (iron bacteria)<br />
<strong>Why</strong> is my <strong>water</strong> hard?<br />
This signifies that your <strong>water</strong> is high in magnesium <strong>and</strong> calcium salts. Your <strong>water</strong><br />
has passed through <strong>or</strong> over rocks containing these elements. If your <strong>water</strong> is<br />
hard you will use m<strong>or</strong>e soap. Excessive hardness (>150 mg/l) can lead to scale<br />
deposits in your pipes.<br />
What does a <strong>water</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tener do?<br />
Positively charged ions in the resin bed <strong>of</strong> the <strong>water</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tener are exchanged f<strong>or</strong><br />
the calcium <strong>and</strong> magnesium ions responsible f<strong>or</strong> "hard <strong>water</strong>". The process adds<br />
sodium ions in "exchange" f<strong>or</strong> calcium <strong>and</strong> magnesium. Eventually the resin will<br />
have very few sodium ions left to exchange <strong>and</strong> the resin bed becomes<br />
"exhaused/spent" <strong>or</strong> used up. The <strong>water</strong> is no longer treated <strong>or</strong> "s<strong>of</strong>tened" until<br />
the resin is recharged <strong>or</strong> re-generated.<br />
I live near the ocean. Should I be concerned with salt getting into my<br />
drinking <strong>water</strong>?<br />
Only if you have a deep well that is used f<strong>or</strong> drinking <strong>water</strong>. You should have<br />
your <strong>water</strong> tested to determine the chl<strong>or</strong>ide levels. Also, if you use your shallow<br />
well f<strong>or</strong> drinking <strong>or</strong> irrigation purposes you should get your <strong>water</strong> tested annually.<br />
Some plants do not tolerate salt very well. The leaves may turn yellow <strong>or</strong> brown<br />
<strong>and</strong> the plant will eventually die.
How do I know that my city <strong>water</strong> is safe to drink?<br />
By law, public <strong>water</strong> systems are routinely monit<strong>or</strong>ed to assure that is safe to<br />
drink. In Volusia County, the Health <strong>Department</strong> has an engineering section that<br />
is responsible f<strong>or</strong> regulating public <strong>water</strong> systems <strong>and</strong> checking that all required<br />
testing is perf<strong>or</strong>med.<br />
I live near a Fernery <strong>and</strong> I have a private drinking well. What should I be<br />
concerned about?<br />
Primarily nitrates because <strong>of</strong> run <strong>of</strong>f from fertilizers<br />
Should I be concerned about lead in my drinking <strong>water</strong>?<br />
It can be a concern if you live in an old house where pipes may have lead solder.<br />
If you are unsure, have your <strong>water</strong> tested. Flushing the tap bef<strong>or</strong>e drawing a<br />
glass <strong>of</strong> <strong>water</strong> to drink will help lower lead levels if they are present in your <strong>water</strong>.<br />
Water that sits undisturbed f<strong>or</strong> over 8 hours in your pipes may have a higher lead<br />
content if there is lead present in your piping system.<br />
What is that "bug" found on fruit <strong>and</strong> vegetables from other countries I<br />
have been hearing about?<br />
Cyclosp<strong>or</strong>a, a new protozoan parasite has been found to be responsible f<strong>or</strong><br />
causing cramping, abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, nausea, fever <strong>and</strong> fatigue. It<br />
is a relative <strong>of</strong> cryptosp<strong>or</strong>idium another parasite that has caused problems in<br />
drinking <strong>water</strong> taken from rivers <strong>or</strong> reservoirs that has not undergone filtration. It<br />
is believed that fruits <strong>and</strong> vegetables become contaminated when washed <strong>or</strong><br />
inundated with contaminated <strong>water</strong> containing the <strong>or</strong>ganisms.
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