The water that flows from our taps that we use for drinking, cooking and bathing originates from surface waters such as streams, rivers and lakes, or from underground water sources such as aquifers. A wide range of harmful pollutants can make their way into these water sources, including sediment, toxic algae, disease causing bacteria such as e.coli, as well as heavy metals and harmful chemicals. Consuming water contaminated with these pollutants can cause a wide range of health problems including gastrointestinal upsets, neurological disorders and reproductive problems, as well as other serious health issues such as cancer.

Knowing what is in your water is the first step to ensuring that the water you drink won't harm your health. If you are aware that your water contains harmful contaminants you are armed with the knowledge to do something constructive about it by taking measures to remove these contaminants. Below are some ways of finding out what exactly is in your water, and whether it is safe for you and your family to drink straight from the tap, or whether you would be better off filtering it to remove any toxic pollutants that could pose a health risk.

The EPA's Online Drinking Water Tools

The responsibility for ensuring that drinking water supplies are free of contaminants falls largely on the shoulders of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In order to keep American's safe from water that contains contaminants, the EPA offers water quality information and online tools on their website that provides updates on water quality issues, including maps that allow us to check the contaminants we may be exposed to in our water by simply typing in our zip code. They also have a hotline we can call to find out what the local hazards are in terms of water quality issues, as well as water quality guidelines for homeowners who obtain their drinking water from private wells.

Your Local Water Utility

Check with your local water utility, who by law are compelled to supply you with an annual 'Consumer Confidence Report' outlining the quality of the water they supply you. This is usually mailed with your water bill, but if you have opted for e-billing you may need to do an online search to find this information. The EPA has an online map to help consumers find the report for their area. Once you have found your report, you may find the Center for Disease Control's guide to understanding this report useful.

Search for Information on a Specific Pollutant

Should you have concerns regarding a specific drinking water contaminant such as chromium-6 or lead for example, you could do an online search for resources that focus on that specific pollutant. The Environmental Working Group is a good place to start. They have a wealth of information on water quality issues, as well as a searchable database on tap water quality across the country.

Get your Water Tested

In order to be 100% certain of what is or isn't in your water, you would be well advised to have your drinking water tested by a reputable laboratory. Call the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline to find the name of a water testing lab near you. You will need to take a sample of your tap water for them to test.

My Water is Contaminated, Now What?

If you find that your tap water contains harmful contaminants that you are not happy ingesting, all is not lost. Many common drinking water pollutants, including bacteria, sediment, heavy metals, chemicals and more can be removed by a quality drinking water filter like the Big Berkey water filters. In fact, considering that water is so vital for our well being, purchasing a good quality drinking water filter is arguably the best investment you can make towards your family's health.

Solving the Problem - Treat or Filter your Water

If the water test results directly indicate that the water quality is unacceptable, you should consider how to remedy this. In most cases, proper water treatment process is sufficient. 

Other treatment alternatives include:

• de-ironing and de-manganizing
• softening of the water
• nitrate elimination
• filtration with activated carbon
• disinfection using UV light

These methods usually guarantee effective restoration of the water to a potable level, although it is recommended to utilize a home water filter as well. Berkey water filters are the ideal solution and will perform well even in harsh conditions.