The scariest types of water contaminants tend to be the ones that make us sick. Water is supposed to be an essential nutrient that makes us healthier, so if your home’s water is having the opposite effect, it’s important to understand why it is happening what you can do to address the problem. One of the most common reasons why your tap water would make you sick is because it contains microorganisms. Today we’re going to talk about what microorganisms are, how they can get into your tap water and what you can do to remove them!
What are microorganisms?
Unlike other types of water contaminants like minerals, metals and chemicals, microorganisms are actual living things. The reason they are called microorganisms is because they are too small to be seen by the naked eye. When it comes to water contaminants, the most problematic microorganisms are bacteria, viruses and protozoans. These types of contaminants can cause problems even when they show up at low levels because many of them have the ability to multiply and cause illnesses and diseases.
How do microorganisms get into tap water?
Dangerous microorganisms are often found in the intestines and fecal matter of both humans and animals. As a result, microorganisms often infiltrate water supplies that somehow come into contact with human and animal waste. This can happen in several different ways:
- Water runoff can flow over animal waste from farms and infect wells and nearby water supplies.
- Discharges from sewage plants can infect source water supplies if the bodies of water are nearby or connected.
- Septic systems can break and the wastewater can seep into the cracks of nearby water supply pipelines.
In addition, certain kinds of microorganisms grow naturally in bodies of water like lakes and rivers that serve as public water supplies.
What are the kinds of microorganisms that show up in tap water?
The most problematic kinds of microorganisms that show up in Carolina tap water include:
- Legionella. Legionella is a bacteria that grows naturally in bodies of water. It poses the biggest risk to our health when we inhale it, so the most common way that people get infected by it is when they shower in water that contains the bacteria. Legionella causes a form of pneumonia called Legionnaires disease.
- E. coli. E. coli is one of the most well-known types of microorganisms because it is often discussed in the news when water supplies are infected by it. Exposure to E. coli in water can cause a wide range of health effects, including diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illnesses, pneumonia and more.
- Giardia. Giardia is a parasite that grows on animal and human fecal matter. When it is shows up in drinking water, it can cause a severe diarrheal disease known as giardiasis.
- Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is the leading cause of waterborne illnesses in the United States. It originates in the intestines of infected humans and animals, and it causes a severe diarrheal disease known as cryptosporidiosis.
How can you remove microorganisms from your home’s tap water?
Since microorganisms are living things, they are trickier to remove from tap water than other types of contaminants. For example, some microorganisms are not effectively killed when chlorine is added to tap water supplies.
The two best types of water filtration products for taking care of microorganism in tap water are ultraviolet light and reverse osmosis treatment systems. UV light systems work by exposing microorganisms to UV rays, which kills the microorganisms or renders them harmless. Reverse osmosis systems work by pushing water through a membrane that contains tiny pores that are only large enough to let molecules through. Since microorganisms are larger than water molecules, they are too big to make it past the RO membrane. For the ultimate protection from microorganisms and other types of water contaminants, you can even install a UV light and RO system side-by-side.
If you have any questions about microorganisms in tap water, or if you’d like a water system serviced or installed in your home, contact North Carolina Water Consultants, your water softener and water filtration system dealer in North and South Carolina. We provide service all over the Carolinas, including towns like Davidson, Mooresville and Matthews, NC.
