HARDNESS

Hard water is high in dissolved minerals, both calcium and magnesium. As water moves through soil and rock, it dissolves small amounts of these naturally-occurring minerals and carries them into the ground water supply. Water is a great solvent for calcium and magnesium, so if the minerals are present in the soil around your well and its water supply, you can end up with hard water.

Hard water interferes with almost every cleaning task, from doing the laundry to washing dishes to taking a shower. Clothes can look dingy and feel rough and scratchy. Dishes and glasses get spotted and a film may build up on shower doors, bathtubs, sinks and faucets.  Washing your hair in hard water may leave it feeling sticky and dull. Finally, hard water can cause a residue to build-up in pipes that can lower water pressure throughout the house.

IRON

Iron is a harmless, though sometimes annoying and is present in most public and private water supplies.  High concentrations of dissolved iron can result in poor tasting, unattractive water that stains both plumbing fixtures and clothing.  When iron-rich waters mix with tea, coffee, or alcoholic beverages, they assume a black, inky appearance with an unpleasant taste. Vegetables cooked in iron-rich waters will also become dark and unappetizing.

At concentrations most commonly found in drinking water, the presence of iron is not considered a health problem. Iron in drinking water can even provide a health benefit. Small concentrations are essential to human health, because iron helps transport oxygen in the blood.  The majority of water supplies in the United States provide approximately 5 percent of the daily dietary requirement for iron.

pH

pH is a measurement of how acidic or how basic (alkaline) a solution is. When substances dissolve in water they produce charged molecules called ions. pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 14. Water that is neutral has a pH of 7. Acidic water has pH values less than 7, with 0 being the most acidic. You might expect rainwater to be neutral, but it is actually somewhat acidic. As rain drops fall through the atmosphere, they dissolve gaseous carbon dioxide, creating a weak acid. Pure rainfall has a pH of about 5.6.

Your drinking water ph is important because water is what helps your body run efficiently and it makes up the majority of your body mass.