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Well Water Vs City Water – All the Facts You Need to Know

By Rehan Iqbal   

Water is an essential resource. We use it every day in our homes for cleaning, bathing and drinking. It makes sense that you would want to know that you’re getting the best water supplied to your home. The good health of your family depends on it.

woman washing hands in a city fountain
  • What is Well Water?
  • What is City Water?
  • Well Water Pros
  • Well Water Cons
  • City Water Pros
  • City Water Cons
  • Water Filtration Systems
  • Filters for Well Water
  • Filters for City Water

There are those who will tell you that untreated well water is health hazard, full of unknown bacteria and contaminants. Others will insist that the chemicals used to treat city water are bad for you.

If you’re going to make an informed decision, you’ll need the facts. This article will dispel the myths pertaining to either type of water supply. Both city and well water have their pros and cons. Both can be perfectly safe and healthy if you know what the options are. In the end, you are ultimately responsible for the quality of the water that your family drinks and you should know what the best way is of achieving this.

Well Water

Over 42 million Americans use well water. For some, this is the only option. People living in rural areas don’t always have access to piped water from a utility company and rely on a private well as their only source of household water.

There are those who prefer well water, even if they have access to a city water supply. There are certainly quite a few advantages of using a well and some disadvantages. To understand the pros and cons of well water, we should start with an explanation of what it is and how it works.

What is Well Water?

Well water comes from an underground aquifer on your property. You are responsible for pumping the water from the well to your home. Maintaining the well and ensuring that you have clean, healthy water is also your responsibility.

Well water is completely natural and untreated, like natural spring water that you can buy in bottles. The advantage being that well water is free. Well, almost free. You have to pay for the electricity to pump the water, as well as installing and maintaining the well. Though the cost of owning a well is generally the cheapest way of obtaining water.

Unlike city or bottled water, a private well is not guaranteed safe. You need to know what is in the water and take the appropriate measures to ensure that it is pure. The water can become contaminated from nearby septic systems. Harmful chemicals from industry and agriculture could seep into the ground water supply, contaminating the well. Bacteria from dead animals and other sources can also be problematic if you use a well.

Well Water Pros

  • Water Bill Savings - Using a well to supply your home with water means no water bills. While there are costs involved to install and operate a well, these are usually much lower than monthly water bills in the long run.
  • Natural Water Supply - Water from an underground aquifer is naturally filtered through the soil and is often rich in healthy minerals.
  • Environmentally Friendly - Water treatment plants use a lot of energy and chemicals to purify the water. Well water does not require this level of treatment.
  • Healthy - Although well water may become contaminated, it is generally healthy. No additional chemicals are added.
  • Tastes and Smells and Good - Well water generally contains healthy minerals and no chlorine, meaning that your water has a wonderfully natural taste and aroma.
  • Reliable Water Supply - Having a water supply that you control means that it won’t be disrupted by problems like burst main water pipes. During a natural disaster, mass water supplies can be damaged and can take weeks to repair.

Well Water Cons

  • Your Responsibility - A well on your property is entirely your responsibility. This means that you have keep it maintained and ensure that the water is safe. You should test your well water at least once a year for contaminants and pathogens. If your water is found to be unsafe, you will need to take the appropriate action to rectify the situation.
  • Electricity Dependence - In order to pump the water from the ground, you need a functioning electrical supply. During an outage, you will not be able to pump water unless you have a backup generator.
  • Water contamination - runoff from agricultural land or industrial dumping sites can contaminate well water. A dead animal falling into the well or seepage from septic systems could also contaminate your well water.
  • Hard Water - More often than not, You will have hard water when you are using water from a well. You will need to use a water softener to soften the well water. This is in addition to using a water filter to remove contaminants and phatogens.

City Water

Water utility companies supply most of the water used in the US. The water usually comes from runoff and surface water. Before the water is piped to your home it is treated to ensure that it is safe.

Utility companies are required to test the water that they supply according to EPA guidelines. This means that it is generally considered to be safe. Although there have been several instances when contamination from industrial activities or old water infrastructure have made some utility supplies unsafe.

What is City Water?

City water is supplied by a utility company and is piped directly to your home. You pay for the water that you use. To ensure that it is safe to drink, city water is disinfected using chemicals like chlorine. Some utility companies also add fluoride to the water and may add healthy minerals that are lost during the treatment process.

The chemicals used to treat municipal water may affect the taste and smell of the water but are safe for consumption by people and animals.

City Water Pros

  • Convenience - City water is piped to your home and is mostly consistent. Most of us take for granted that we have water on tap without any concern. The system is maintained by the water utility.
  • Regular Testing - City is water is tested for contamination. You can contact the utility company to see the test results for the water in your area.
  • Easily Available - Water infrastructure is common in most areas. Most homes have a water connection, and you don’t have to install any type of infrastructure.
  • Water is Treated - City water has been treated to ensure that there are no harmful pathogens. Most chemical contaminants are removed from the water during treatment.
  • Home Loan Requirements - Some lenders will not approve a loan for a home with a well as the only source of water, as it is not as reliable as city water. If the well runs dry, you have no water, and this will affect the value of your property.

City Water Cons

  • Expensive - Monthly water bills can be costly. In areas where water scarcity is a problem, it can be more expensive with an additional surcharge for excessive water usage.
  • Not Fresh - City water comes mostly from runoff and surface water. This exposes the water to a greater amount of harmful chemicals and other contaminants. As a result, city water requires treatment using chemicals which affects the taste.
  • No Control Over Your Water Supply - The city manages the water that you use. If the infrastructure is damaged, the water supply may be inactive for a long time. As a result, you will have no water in your home until it is repaired.
  • Mass Contamination - When a surface water supply becomes contaminated, a large-scale cleanup operation is required. This usually takes many years, during which time your water supply may be unhealthy.
  • Damaged or Old Infrastructure - If a water pipe is damaged, the water may become contaminated. Old infrastructure, like lead pipes, can also contaminate your water. Replacing or repairing water infrastructure can take a long time.

Water Filtration Systems

Whether you obtain your water from a private well or a utility company, there is always a risk of contamination. People using city water often want to remove chemicals like chlorine to improve the taste and odor of their water, even if it is essentially safe to drink form the tap.

Water filtration requirements differ according to the type of water supply and the quality of the water in your area. While there are similarities, filtration systems for well and city water are not necessarily the same.

Users of well water usually require whole house water filters, whereas people using city water don’t always need these larger, more expensive systems.

Filters for Well Water

It is important to have your well water tested so that you are aware of which contaminants may pose a health risk. Apart from health hazards, there are other contaminants that can be harmful to your plumbing or leave unsightly stains on clothing, dishes and fixtures.

Hard minerals, like calcium and magnesium accumulate in water pipes and can cause a blockage. They also leave a white residue around your faucets, and in bathtubs, showers, and sinks. Hard water makes laundry hard and leaves white spots on your clothes. It also makes dishes appear cloudy. A water softener will prevent limescale which causes blockages and the white residue on your fixtures, clothing, and dishes.

There are other unwanted minerals that could be present in your well water. Iron, although safe to drink, can cause stains on fixtures and may also affect the taste of your water. Heavy metals, like mercury, lead, and arsenic are dangerous and should be removed from your water if they are excessive.

While most harmful chemicals are naturally filtered through the ground before the water reaches your underground aquifer, this is not always the case. Nearby agricultural or industrial activities may contaminate your well water. Activated carbon filters are the best way of removing unwanted chemicals from water.

Because well water is not chemically disinfected, there is always a risk of bacteria, parasites, and viruses (pathogens). By using a UV or silver filter, you can ensure that you are safe from diseases and parasites.

The best way to ensure that well water is perfectly safe is to install a whole house reverse osmosis water filter. These systems use several stages of filtration to remove over 99% of contaminants. You can customize the system to meet your requirements. After testing your well water, you can decide which stages of filtration are required and adapt your water filter accordingly.

Filters for City Water

Because city water is treated, you may not require high-level water filtration if you receive your water from a utility. However, it is the very treatment that makes your water safe that may lead you to decide upon a water filter to remove chemicals like chlorine.

Despite testing and treatment, city water is not always safe. Some chemicals, like PFAS, are not removed by regular water treatment methods. In some areas, water utilities fail in their obligation to adequately treat the water for all contaminants. Damage to water pipes can cause contamination and lead water pipes are a problem in some area.

Many urban residents, dependent on city water, only want to remove chemicals like chlorine and fluoride from their water. To achieve this, you don’t need a large expensive water filtration system. A water filter pitcher is the most affordable way to remove chemicals that affect the taste and odor of city water. The only problem with a pitcher is that provides a limited amount of filtered water. You need to fill the pitcher with tap water and then wait a few minutes for the water to be filtered.

Countertop water filters are essentially the same as pitcher filters but have a larger capacity. This makes them a more practical solution for larger families. Faucet filters are the most practical small filtration systems . They provide point of use filtration, with filtered water permanently on tap.

If you live in a hard water area, you should install a whole house water softener. You may want to use a more comprehensive whole house water filtration system if you suspect that the water from your utility is not completely safe.

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