3 Ways To Improve Your Tap Water

Our tap water system may be good, but it’s far from flawless. Many circumstances might make you want extra protection. For instance: Water that’s perfectly drinkable at the treatment plant could be dirtied on its way to your sink. “If your pipes are old, a problem can start at the curb and come out the tap,” says EPA administrator Lisa Jackson. “Lead and copper can leak out of old pipe solder. If you’re concerned, ask your local health department about testing.” It’s also possible that your water company is falling short. Request a consumer confidence report (each water utility is required to issue one annually), or check the Environmental Working Group’s tap water database. If you’re on well water (more than 13 million U.S. homes are), the National Ground Water Association recommends annual testing by a certified groundwater contractor. Thinking about filtering? Here are three options: 1. Cheap & Easy… A basic carbon filter—the kind in Brita-style pitchers and faucet-mounted units—can improve taste and do a fair job of removing common contaminants, including lead and “disinfection by-products”—the cancer-causing toxins that can form when chlorinated water mixes with high levels of plant or animal debris. But if your family uses more...