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1. Is there lead in my water?

Wadsworth has been testing for lead since 1992, as required by the EPA, with no violations.

2. What can I do to minimize my risk for lead?

When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize your risk for lead exposure by flushing your tap water for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using for drinking or cooking.

3. What is the City doing to ensure an issue, like what happened in Flint, doesn't happen here?

The City of Wadsworth is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing materials. Corrosive water can cause the lead in those components to "leach" into the water.

Wadsworth is lucky to get its water from wells, which helps ensuring it is non corrosive much easier. Although we had already stable water and had never had an issue with lead and copper testing, in 1998 Wadsworth started a voluntary corrosion control program.

It was determined that we should feed Zinc Orthophosphate to the water. This chemical coats the water line with a protective layer that prevents any lead from leaching out of the pipes.

4. What is the hardness of my water?

Wadsworth's raw water supply has a hardness of approximately 300 to 350 milligrams per liter. Through the treatment process, the hardness is reduced to a range of 180 to 250 milligrams per liter (expressed as Calcium Carbonate) or 11 to 15 Grains of Hardness.

5. Should I consider a home water softener?

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 milligrams per liter 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 restricted diets.

6. Do you test your water for impurities?

Yes, regularly. The Water Treatment Plant is certified in both Wet Chemistry and Microbiology. Our lab and our plant operators are certified by 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 the different processes of water treatment and also by taking samples at randomly selected customer locations. Some contaminant testing is performed by outside labs due to cost and the infrequency of testing.

7. What has been the result of this testing?

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

8. Should I buy a home water purifier?

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.

9. Is the water fluoridated and if so why?

Natural groundwater in this area has around 0.3 milligrams per liter of fluoride in it. We add extra fluoride to the water to bring the level up to 0.8 to 1.2 milligrams per liter. Studies have shown that water with a fluoride level of 1 milligrams per liter will help prevent tooth decay. The State of Ohio mandated water fluoridation for all communities greater than 5000 in 1969.

10. Do you chlorinate the water?

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 milligrams per liter. Typically water leaving the water treatment plant has a chlorine level around 1 milligram per liter.

11. Should I buy bottled water?

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. In many cases bottled water is just "city" water re-purified. 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.

12. Can I get my water tested?

We test the water in the city daily, and throughout the treatment plant processes 3 times a day. We also conduct routine bacteria samples throughout the city weekly to ensure that your water is safe. With that being said, if you have a concern or question we urge you to call us and we will speak to you over the phone and/or come out and collect a sample from your home.

We do only test residents of the City of Wadsworth city water, no private wells. Please call us at 330-335-2832 or 330-334-1581, ext 3002.

13. What is that black ring in my toilet bowl?

The black ring is caused by an airborne fungus. The spores land wherever it is damp and can also be found around the ends of faucets, around leaky faucet handles, and showers. We recommend 3 applications of straight bleach to help kill the spores and leaving the lid to the toilet down.