In advance of the work being done, you may wish to fill a few sanitary containers and pitchers with water for drinking purposes. Filling a bucket or your bathtub with water can be useful for household purposes such as toilet flushing. After this work has been completed and water service has been restored to your home, as a precaution we advise before using water inside, please run your outside hose bib until the water is clear. This is to prevent any discolored water from entering your faucets and fixtures and to evacuate air from your service line.

Washington Water does not add fluoride to the water in any of our systems.

For more general information, see How Does Fluoride Get Into Tap Water?

Hardness is a measure of the magnesium, calcium, and carbonate minerals in water. Water is considered soft if total hardness is less than 75 ppm, moderately hard at 75 to 150 ppm, hard at 150 to 300 ppm, and very hard at 300 ppm or higher. To convert the hardness of your water from parts per million to grains per gallon, simply divide by 17.1.

Water’s hardness varies with its source. Hard water is not harmful to health, so the choice to buy a water softener is an aesthetic one. However, people on low-sodium diets should be aware that many water softeners increase the sodium content of the water.

The hardness of your water is listed in your annual water quality report.

At Washington Water, we conduct periodic flushing as part of our ongoing water quality and water system maintenance program. By opening certain fire hydrants under controlled conditions, we remove minerals and sediment that build up in water lines over time.

This improves water quality and increases the amount of water that can flow through the water lines.

Although it may seem wasteful to the casual observer, flushing is actually an important and necessary water utility activity that is endorsed by the American Water Works Association and conducted in accordance with guidelines set by the Washington State Department of Health.

You will continue to receive water while we are flushing, but the pressure might be lowered temporarily. If you notice any discoloration and/or sediment in your water after we have flushed, please allow water to run from your outside hose bib until it clears.

In some of our service areas, water sources change at certain times of the year due to the availability of supplies. Surface water, or water that comes from sources like rivers and lakes, tends to taste slightly different than water pumped from underground aquifers.

Dirt or sand can occur naturally in groundwater or as a result of a water line repair. We try to reduce the instances of dirt or sand in the water through regular flushing, which improves water quality by increasing the circulation of water in the pipes and removing most of the sediment from the water.

Chlorine is typically added to your water for disinfection purposes (to kill any bacteria that may be present), but can also be used as an oxidant to remove odors such as naturally-occurring hydrogen sulfide (“rotten eggs”) or as an aid in the iron and manganese removal process. To reduce any chlorine taste or smell, try refrigerating your water before drinking. If the chlorine odor or taste is unusually high (i.e., not normal for your water system), please Contact Us and we will check into it.

Disinfectants are required because they prevent the spread of germs that cause diseases. Years ago, before disinfectants were used for drinking water, diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, and dysentery were common. Drinking water disinfection has vastly improved the quality and safety of drinking water.

Washington Water conducts regular water system flushing to remove any mineral build-up and sediment from the pipes and also to ensure that water circulates adequately throughout the system. Fire hydrants may also be opened to conduct fire-flow capability tests.

Tap water providers and bottled water providers must meet the same water quality standards. In fact, tap water providers are required to conduct more frequent water quality testing and reporting than bottled water providers. Some consumers prefer the taste of bottled water, and some choose bottled water because they have special health needs. But tap water is a much better deal, costing 1,000 times less than bottled water.