Stay Ahead of the Curve: Why Future-Proofing Your Home Water System is More Critical Than Ever
With evolving water quality standards and emerging contaminants like PFAS making headlines, homeowners across the nation are realizing that yesterday’s water treatment solutions may not be sufficient for tomorrow’s challenges. In April 2024, the EPA issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful PFAS, with the final rule expected to reduce PFAS exposure for approximately 100 million people and prevent thousands of deaths.
The Changing Landscape of Water Quality Standards
The Safe Drinking Water Act includes a process that EPA must follow to identify germs, chemicals, or other contaminants that it may need to regulate. EPA must publish a list of these contaminants—called the “Contaminant Candidate List”—every five years, reviewing data about the health risks of at least five contaminants and deciding whether to develop rules limiting those specific contaminants in tap water.
This regulatory evolution means that contaminants considered safe today may face stricter limits tomorrow. The finalized PFAS rule maintains limits of 4 nanograms per liter or parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOS and PFOA and includes new limits for four additional compounds, demonstrating how rapidly standards can change.
Understanding Emerging Contaminants
Beyond traditional concerns like chlorine and hardness minerals, modern water systems must contend with a growing list of emerging contaminants. Treatment systems for emerging contaminants include both point-of-use and point-of-entry systems that have been verified to reduce one or more contaminants. These substances, including pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), weren’t on regulators’ radar decades ago but now pose significant health concerns.
Industry forecasts suggest drinking water utilities will spend nearly $13.5 billion between 2023 and 2030 on PFAS retrofits, with another analysis projecting that the expected cost for remediating U.S. drinking water systems contaminated with PFAS could range between $120 billion and $175 billion.
The Florida Advantage: Quality Safe Water’s Proactive Approach
For Florida residents, Quality Safe Water of Florida is dedicated to ensuring every Florida family has access to clean, safe, and purified water. The company is committed to providing the highest quality, efficient, and affordable water treatment solutions, prioritizing the health and well-being of customers, with their unwavering dedication setting them apart as Florida’s most trusted water treatment company.
Quality Safe Water of Florida offers a variety of services to meet all water needs, providing custom-designed water purification systems based on water analysis and family water usage and needs. This personalized approach is crucial for future-proofing, as “one size does not fit all” when it comes to water treatment solutions.
Key Components of a Future-Ready Water System
Multi-Stage Filtration: Modern systems should include filters certified to reduce contaminants with health effects, utilizing adsorption/filtration processes where substances adhere to the surface or pores of adsorbent media, with carbon filters being a prime example.
Adaptable Technology: The best systems use a range of available technologies including granular activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange systems, with drinking water systems having flexibility to determine the best solution for their community.
Comprehensive Monitoring: It’s essential to test your water and choose a filter that removes specific germs or chemicals of concern, with public water system customers able to review annual water quality reports that show if there are harmful germs or chemicals in their water.
The Importance of Professional Assessment
One effective way to determine what a water filter removes is to look for NSF certification on the filter’s label, and you can look up specific products in the NSF database to see what they are certified to remove from water. However, professional assessment goes beyond basic certification.
Quality Safe Water’s services include free in-home water analysis, professional installation, and fast, dependable servicing for all makes, ensuring that your water system is not only properly installed but also maintained to meet evolving standards.
Planning for Regulatory Changes
Higher surface temperatures may make meeting water quality standards and temperature criteria more difficult, requiring additional effluent cooling systems for treated wastewater discharges. Climate change and environmental factors will continue to influence water quality regulations.
All public water facilities are now subject to monitoring conditions requiring completion within three years, with public water systems exceeding contamination levels required to take steps to reduce contaminants using best available practices within five years.
Making the Investment
Future-proofing your home water system isn’t just about meeting today’s standards—it’s about protecting your family’s health against tomorrow’s discoveries. While filters cannot remove some types of harmful substances, they remove both good and bad substances from water, and if your tap water is already free from harmful germs and chemicals, you may not want to filter it.
The key is working with experienced professionals who understand both current regulations and emerging trends. Quality Safe Water is a Florida-based water treatment company dedicated to delivering top-tier solutions for residential and commercial clients, with their unwavering commitment to quality and customer satisfaction setting them apart, taking pride in offering the highest quality, safe, and reliable water treatment systems.
Taking Action
As water quality standards continue to evolve and new contaminants are identified, the homes with adaptable, professionally designed water treatment systems will be best positioned to maintain safe, clean water for their families. Don’t wait for the next regulatory change to catch you off guard—invest in a future-ready water system today.
The cost of preparation today is minimal compared to the expense and health risks of playing catch-up tomorrow. With professional guidance and the right technology, you can ensure your family has access to clean, safe water regardless of what future standards may bring.