Concern about the quality of our drinking water is being raised everywhere. While such concerns are normally restricted to private water sources, it can also encompass municipal water systems as well. Water quality problems may range from bacterial contamination to toxic contaminants such as heavy metals like lead and arsenic to hydro-carbons (fuels) to other chemical contaminants.

Considerations
The first step to improving a home’s water quality is to have the water evaluated by a certified laboratory. The cost will generally run from $50 - $100 for a bacterial check to over a thousand dollars for multiple element screenings. The HouseMaster Technical Staff notes that there are several types of either point of use (for individual fixtures) or point of entry (for whole house) water treatment devices, should testing indicate a problem. These systems include basic systems like carbon filter or iron filters to more sophisticated systems like reverse osmosis and distillation units.

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