Q. What is the hardness of my water?

A. Wadsworth’s raw water supply has a hardness of approximately 300 mg/L. Through the treatment process, the hardness is reduced to about 200 mg/L (expressed as Calcium Carbonate) or 12 Grains of Hardness.

Q. Should I consider a home water softener?

A. The degree of hardness a person tolerates is a matter of personal preference. A general rule of thumb is if your water is more than 120 mg/L you might consider a water softener to reduce the formation of scale in your hot water system and make washing easier. Water softeners typically replace nontoxic hardness minerals with sodium which may be a concern for those on sodium restrictive diets if the cold water is softened.

Q. Do you test your water for impurities?

A. Yes, regularly. Our lab and our plant operators are certified by the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio EPA to conduct testing on our water. The lab and operators must be surveyed and re-certified every 3 years to maintain our labs certification and to remain in compliance with state and federal regulations. Testing is conducted at various locations within our system and also by taking samples at randomly selected customer locations.

Q. What has been the result of this testing?

A. Our water is of excellent quality. It meets or exceeds all state and federal regulations.

Q. Should I buy a home water purifier?

A. Water produced by the City’s Water Treatment Plant meets all, and in most cases is better than rigorous national drinking water quality standards. If not properly maintained, home purification and/or filtration systems can actually cause water quality problems. A carbon type filter may be beneficial for those sensitive to chlorine but frequent filter changes must be made to prevent bacterial problems from developing. Determining if a water purifier or filter would be beneficial is a personal decision.

Q. Is the water fluoridated and if so why?

A. Natural ground water in this area has around 0.3 mg/L of fluoride in it and we add extra fluoride to the water to bring the level up to 1.0 mg/l. Studies have proven that water with a fluoride level of 1.0 mg/L will help prevent tooth decay.

Q. Do you chlorinate the water?

A. Yes, state law requires that we chlorinate our water supply and maintain a minimum chlorine residual in the distribution system of at least 0.2 mg/L. The average chlorine residual in our distribution system is 0.5 mg/L.

Q. Should I buy bottled water?

A. If you want a drink with different taste you may want to try bottled water, but the costs are approximately 1,000 times as much as your tap water. The bottled water industry is less regulated than municipal water treatment plants. Water produced by the City’s Water Treatment Plant meets all, and in most cases is better than, rigorous national drinking water quality standards.