Overcoming the Failure of Tri-State Tap Water

How to Cost Effectively Supplement Your Municipal Water Treatment

It’s Time to Toss Your Tap  

We’ve already informed you about the modern regression of water safety in the tri-state area. New York and New Jersey’s water supplies contain some serious contaminants, and it may put your health at risk to drink unfiltered tap water. So what can you do to reduce your exposure to chemical contaminants without breaking the bank? Here’s what the market has to offer: 

Alternative #1: Bottled Water 

Of course, it may seem like the easiest way to avoid contaminated tap water is to drink bottled water. Whether you buy cases of Poland Spring or use a jug-sourced water cooler, you may think you’ve found a cost-effective alternative to drinking from your tap. But in fact, drinking packaged water comes with a cost all of its own. 

• • Why It Hurts Your Wallet:  No matter how great a deal you find at your local Costco, continually buying cases or jugs of water to quench your thirst may not be cost-effective in the long run. Experts estimate that the average American family spends hundreds of dollars per year in bottled water expenses, and for companies and businesses with many more mouths to fill, this cost can quickly escalate.  
• • Why It Hurts The Environment: Astoundingly, despite modern recycling efforts only about 25 percent of the plastic produced in the U.S. is recycled. The remaining 75 percent has some seriously damaging environmental effects as it fills up landfills and depletes oil sources. 
• • Why It May Risk Your Health: Recent investigations into the bottled water industry reveal that packaged water isn’t always in the clear. For example, Keurig Dr Pepper recently pulled its mineral spring water off shelves for failing to meet FDA bottled water quality standards, and it turns out that Poland Spring’s famous natural water source ran dry nearly 50 years ago. For a more extensive analysis on bottled water safety, click here.

Alternative #2: Water Purification Systems

The best way to avoid contaminated water is to use a certified water filtration or purification device. That being said, a host of these devices are currently offered on the market, and trying to deduce which one is right for you may seem overwhelming. Here are the main things you need to know: 

POU vs. POE Filters: Water filtration systems generally fall under one of two categories: Point-of-Use or Point-of-Entry.

POE filters (those odd mechanisms underneath the sink that perhaps you’ve always wondered about) connect to a tap source to treat all of the water used in a single home or building.

As a cheaper, more easily maintained alternative, POU systems treat the water coming directly from the tap to which they are connected. You can buy or lease a countertop POU system like our Voyager model, or a standalone filtration system like the Endeavor. Whichever mechanism you choose, these filtration systems generally prove safer and more cost-effective than drinking tap or bottled water. 

 If you do choose to invest in a POU purification system, there is a wide variety of options within that category itself. Depending on your needs, you might want a higher capacity dispenser or a system with various temperature options. That’s why our systems are divided into 6 levels based on their dispensing capacities, and our representatives work with each client to determine which service plan is best for their needs. Click here to learn more about our plans, or sign up for our 7 day free trial to try it for yourself.

Alternative #3: Cut Off Contamination at the Source

At this point, we’ve informed you about the dangers of bottled water to both you and the environment. We’ve also managed to plug our product while telling you about the need to purify your water (which truly is necessary). But what if we didn’t need a solution at all? What if we were able to keep our water clean and safe for drinking from the get-go? It is possible for tap water to be clean enough to drink, and most of the contamination we face today simply comes from unregulated waste management as many manufacturers produce their products. So rather than simply expanding the technology available to purify already contaminated water, we should aim to cut off water contamination at its source.

Here’s a quick overview of some of the primary contamination sources:

• Manufacturers improperly disposing of waste 
• Sediment and chemicals leaching into groundwater as a result of various drilling processes
• Toxic fluid trickling into groundwater through poorly managed landfills 

The technology and resources to properly deal with waste exist, but the public pressure to utilize these tools is largely absent. What can you do? Stay informed, share information with your friends and social networks, call up your local government representative and ask them about the steps they’re taking to ensure your water’s safety, and in the meantime, get yourself a proper water cooler.