August is National Water Quality Month! Can you guess how much water you use over the course of the year? Between bathing, cleaning, household waste, and drinking water, the average person uses approximately 80 gallons of water or more per day. That's 29,200 gallons per person per YEAR! Whoa! Bet you didn't think you made that much of an imprint on the environment, did you?

Protecting our water resources and educating ourselves about water quality is an important part of ensuring that our water sources remain clean and potable. This is a great reminder to many of us that it takes much more than just turning on the tap to guarantee clean, potable water. Here are some of the benefits of quality water in your residence or business at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Water and Health Are Linked
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (better known as the CDC), the top causes of disease outbreaks related to drinking water are Giardia intestinalis, hepatitis A, norovirus, and Shigella. As bad as that sounds, it’s far from a complete list. There are also health risks related to water contamination from organic and inorganic matter, other bacteria and viruses, and other pollutants. Some studies link high levels of lead in drinking water to delays in physical and mental development, short attention spans, and learning difficulties in children. There’s also evidence that arsenic in drinking water can lead to nerve, heart, skin, and blood vessel damage. And Cryptosporidium is responsible for potentially life threatening diarrhea.

Still, water is essential. The human body is about 70 percent water, and although a human being can survive a month or more without food, a week without water can be fatal. Yes, bad water is bad for you, but safe water is key to life! Water has so many health benefits that the CDC recommends drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. It is not hard to meet this, if you recognize that hydration can be achieved in various formats such as the water cooler at work, public drinking fountains, or the tap at home.

Good for Appliances
Good water is good for your home and appliances, too. A 2009 study commissioned by the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF) and conducted by the Battelle Memorial Institute found that adding a water softener helps water heaters and major appliances operate as efficiently as possible, while preventing clogs in shower heads, faucets, and drains. For example, researchers ran dishwashers and washing machines for 30 days and 240 wash cycles. They ran softened water through half of the units, while using a hard water source for the others. At the end of the month, the washers using softened water were nearly free of scale buildup, but the washers using hard water
required scale removal to work well.

When running hard water through faucets, the strainers on the faucets can clog within just 19 days. Softened water can save you money by keeping appliances at top efficiency, and making them last longer. The amount of dish and laundry detergent you use can be cut by half, or even more, if you use softened water. Studies show that using softened water can reduce detergent use by 50 percent in washing machines and save energy by making it possible to wash in 60ºF cold water instead of 100ºF hot water, while achieving the same or even better stain removal along with whiter clothes.

As for water heaters, the researchers found that when softened water is used, units can maintain their original factory efficiency rating for as long as 15 years. Running hard water through the units cut efficiency by up to 48 percent. Scale buildup shortens the lifespan of the heating elements inside electric water heaters, and some tankless water heaters using hard water can fail after just 2 years! Research has shown that showerheads perform well on soft water, but those running with hard water can lose 75 percent of their flow rate in less than 18 months.

What Are You Waiting For?
As you can see, there are many great benefits to having good quality water available to you and your family. Not only can it save you money by allowing your appliances to run more efficiently, but you can also save money on detergents, soaps, etc. If you have any questions pertaining to water treatment at the Lake of the Ozarks or are interested in scheduling a time for us to come out to your home to determine which system would best fit your needs, contact Lindyspring Systems today!

For All Your Household Water Conditioning and Treatment Needs Count on LINDYSPRING!