Your water utility is required by law to tell you about any violation of EPA water quality standards when it occurs (through the mail or media outlets such as newspapers and television) and again in the annual water quality report. You should not drink water that fails to meet EPA standards because it may be unsafe. Thankfully, public utilities have worked hard to improve water quality. As a result, more than 90 percent of water systems meet all EPA regulations.
The report must also disclose a list of all regulated contaminants that have been detected in the water supply. The Safe Drinking Water Act sets the maximum level of contaminants allowed in drinking water based on the filtering and treatment capabilities of current technology. The water quality report also tells you about potentially harmful substances found in your water at levels below their legal limit.
Tip: Hover your cursor over or tap the underlined text in the charts below for more information about these areas of your water quality report.
All very large community water systems, serving more than 100,000 people, must post the report online. All community water systems that serve more than 10,000 people must mail or email either the report or its web address to customers.
Water systems also must make a “good faith effort” to reach renters, workers and other consumers who use the water but do not receive water bills. Utilities should use a combination of different outreach methods to notify users, such as posting the reports online, mailing them and advertising in local newspapers.
More information is available online from the EPA.
The United States provides some of the cleanest drinking water in the world, and more than 90 percent of water systems meet all EPA regulations. Some people may prefer to filter their tap water, however, because they prefer the taste, want to remove minerals and particulates or have concerns about lead piping and plumbing. This section highlights the types of available filters to help you to determine which one is best for your needs.
What impurities do you want to remove from your water? Are you concerned about health risks, or simply unappetizing tastes and odors? Different filters are designed to remove various impurities, so be sure that the filter you buy will do the job.
Once you have read your water quality report, determine what, if anything, you would like to filter out of your water. Depending on the water quality where you live, you may decide that you do not need to filter your water at all.
Water filters come in many shapes and sizes. Depending on your filtration needs, lifestyle preferences and budget, you may want to consider the following options, whose descriptions were adapted from a May 2010 Consumer Reports article:
Different water filter products use different technologies. Some use more than one. If you are looking for a home water filter, you are likely to come across some of these terms:
Each product has its own pros and cons. Individual products may use multiple technologies and are often marketed as two (or more) stage filters. Carafe, faucet-mounted and countertop filters typically use a combination of adsorption and ion exchange resins, while plumbed-in systems may use those technologies in addition to reverse osmosis.
Filters also come in a wide range of prices. Most carafes and faucet-mounted filters cost between $20 and $50, while countertop, under-sink and whole-house filters can range from $50 to $900.
When considering the price of a water filter, remember that the total cost includes your initial purchase price as well as any installation, maintenance or replacement fees. Filter parts need to be changed periodically to prevent clogging, so be sure to consider how much replacement parts cost, as well as the manufacturer’s estimated life span for the product.
Also consider the amount of water you use. Some filter types have larger water capacities than others. Carafes, for example, can filter a few cups or gallons at a time, while faucet-mounted or under-sink filters work directly through a tap.
Most importantly, make sure that the individual product reduces the specific contaminants that you want to remove from your water. Generally, products will include claims on their packaging or advertising regarding which contaminants they reduce and the percentage reduction rate. See the table below for more information about common contaminants of concern and which type of filter will reduce the contaminants.
Lead FILTRATION METHOD Carbon, Distillation, Reverse Osmosis NOTES
Flouride FILTRATION METHOD Distillation, Reverse Osmosis NOTES Not all public drinking water systems add fluoride to the water. Check to see if your community does by reading your annual water quality report. Chloramines FILTRATION METHOD Some Carbon/Charcoal Filters NOTES Check that the system you select is certified to reduce chloramines. Systems that reduce chlorine do not necessarily reduce chloramines. Perchlorates FILTRATION METHOD Reverse Osmosis NOTES
Arsenic FILTRATION METHOD Distillation, Reverse Osmosis NOTES Two different forms of arsenic can be found in water, so it is important to know which type of arsenic you want to filter before choosing a water treatment system.
The crisis in Flint, Michigan has brought attention to the serious problem of lead in drinking water. Fortunately, a water filter that is either NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or NSF/ANSI Standard 58 certified can reduce lead in your drinking water. These certifications are established by NSF International, a public health organization that develops standards and providing certifications with the mission to improve global human health.
These certified filters come in different shapes and sizes. Certification requires that manufacturers state how much water the filter can treat before it must be changed. Some filters even include a device that will let you know when the filter needs to be changed. When changing filter cartridges, it’s important to use a certified cartridge. A non-certified cartridge may not effectively filter lead from the drinking water.
There are a variety of filter options that meet the NSF’s certified standard. Outlined below, these filters include: pour-through pitchers/carafes, faucet mounts, and even plumbed-in filters that are installed under your sink or reverse osmosis drinking water treatment systems.
On the NSF website at www.nsf.org you can search for specific suppliers and product codes to see if they are NSF certified. Their lead specific guide provides a list of all NSF Standard certified brands and models with details for each: www.nsf.org/info/leadfiltrationguide.
Consumers are increasingly concerned about pharmaceuticals, pesticides, other hormone disrupting chemicals and microplastics in drinking water. These chemicals are not regulated, but studies have shown that they are showing up in trace amounts in drinking water. According to the National Sanitation Foundation, filters with NSF/ANSI 401 certification can reduce levels of at least one of 15 types of emerging contaminants from drinking water. You can search by the chemical of concern on the NSF website.
Make sure that your filter is certified by an independent certifying agency. Not all filters live up to the claims on the package, so make sure that the product you are buying does. The packaging should display certification from an independent certifying agency such as the National Sanitation Foundation International or Water Quality Association.
Check the internet for product reviews, and make sure the reviewer is impartial. The best reviews and ratings come from organizations that do not sell the products, such as Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union, a nonprofit organization that provides consumers with unbiased product tests and ratings.
You need to stay hydrated, that’s for sure, but is the tap water in your home safe? It is considered generally safe if it comes from a public water system in the United States, such as one run and maintained by a municipality.
When drinking water leaves a treatment plant on its way to your house, it must meet strict safety standards. That doesn’t mean that your water is free of all contaminants, but that the levels of any contaminants supposedly do not pose serious health risks.
What it does not mean is that it’s going to taste good. Or comply with your doctor’s orders should you have a health issue with chlorine and or fluoride, present in most municipal water.
Having some method for the water you drink and cook with to pass through a quality water filter is the best way to be certain of great-tasting water without the high cost of having to haul bottled water into the house. And you do have multiple choices for how to do that.
Based on lots of research, testing, and tasting, here are my picks for the Best Inexpensive filtering pitcher, under-sink reverse osmosis, and countertop filtering systems.
The field is crowded with lots of choices, but for the money, I don’t think you can beat the highly improved ZeroWater, 20 Cup Water Filter Pitcher. That’s mostly because of its 5-stage filter, which will filter 40 gallons of water before it needs to be replaced—about every two months with typical use.
At a 20-cup capacity, this pitcher easily holds enough filtered drinking water for a family, provided it is filled regularly.
The pitcher is completely BPA-free; filters are quick and easy to change and don’t leave black flecks in your water. The filter promises to reduce chlorine taste and odor, copper, mercury, and cadmium.
If you’re serious about home water filtration, it won’t be long before you ditch the pitcher in favor of a reverse osmosis system, which is what we have in our home.
This is a fairly simple installation that goes in the cabinet under the sink, but it can get pricey if you call a water service or plumbing company and accept whatever product they’re selling that day.
A much cheaper way to do this promises fabulous results: Buy a high-quality system yourself and perform the installation if you have basic plumbing skills. Or once the system arrives, call a plumber to install it.
Either way, you’re going to come out as a winner if you go with my pick for the Best Inexpensive: APEC Top Tier 5-Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System. Remarkably, this system requires no electricity, working with gravity and water pressure to produce excellent drinking water.
For starters, it removes 99% of contaminants, including arsenic, chlorine, lead, fluoride, heavy metals, bacteria, virus and more—and that’s a very good start! Check it out. Plan on replacing filters approximately every 12 to 36 months.
If you prefer a more robust system that guarantees up to 6 gallons of purified water (depending on the model) available at all times (enough to take care of daily drinking and cooking needs for 4-6 people) consider Berkey Filters. All Berkey Filter systems are made in the USA and we really like that.
Big Berkey Countertop Water Filter System comes in sizes from 2.25 gallons to 6 gallons, with 2 Black Berkey Elements and 2 Fluoride Filters. Each purification element has a lifespan of 3,000 gallons; each Fluoride Filter can filter up to 1,000 gallons.
Berkey is big, and if you have space, it’s a great system because of its power to purify even seriously contaminated water. Berkey makes an impressive line of water filters, and this company really deserves your attention.
Berkey Water Filters are undoubtedly the runaway favorite of folks who are prepared for disasters. I don’t have room for a Berkey in my kitchen where we have a reverse osmosis system. But in the basement? As an additional source of pure water? In Vangie, our camper van? Oh yes!
Travel Berkey has a capacity of 1.5 gallons, and designed to be a great traveler
The system is just 18” tall and 7.5” in diameter.
Are you confused about the best and least expensive way to guarantee you’re drinking purified water that tastes good? Grab a calculator. Compare how much your household is spending on bottled water per day, week or month. Then multiply to get to an annual cost.
How does that number compare with the price of say a ZeroWater Filter Pitcher (consider both the purchase price and the cost of replacement filters)? How long would it take to recoup the cost of a better system, when you consider that you will stop buying bottled water?
Or if the idea of having only 10 cups of water available compared to a constant supply (under-sink reverse osmosis) or a super big amount sitting in a big shiny countertop container, crunch those numbers, too.
You may be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Updated and republished: Jul 25, 2023
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