Collin County is nestled in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, and it is home to more than 1.125 million citizens. Collin is the 7th largest county in the state of Texas, and that’s one reason why it has become a hub for large and powerful corporations. Here you’ll find such giants as Toyota and NTT International Data, along with a myriad of small businesses and startups. Collin County has become a very attractive place to live, work, and play, with the population projected to double by the year 2050. Collin County water quality is decent, but is “good enough” really appropriate for your family?
County residents need clean drinking water for their families, so family members can grow healthy and strong. Virtually all city drinking water standards are based on outdated safety standards, which means you can’t be sure what your children may be ingesting. The only way you can be sure that your family members are consuming healthy, contaminant-free water is to have it purified.
Is it Safe to Drink Collin County Tap Water?
Since Collin County water quality has been approved by the proper authorities, in theory, it is okay to drink water straight from the tap. However, it may not be healthy in the long run for your family members. Any drinking water which meets the standards of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considered “safe” but that doesn’t mean it’s in your best interest to drink without a form of filtration. Keep in mind that allowable limits have changed considerably in modern times. Given that most city standards are based on older EPA standards, it’s possible that Collin County water could be out of compliance. The EPA is currently assessing whether its standards require revision, to be stricter about what can safely be included in drinking water.
What You Should Know About Your Drinking Water
The Environmental Work Group (EWG) is an agency that performs water testing on specific areas and zip codes. This informs local citizens about their water quality, and their standards are regarded as more strict than federal standards. To date, the thousands of water samples collected by the EWG show clearly that most Americans are exposing themselves to several contaminants when drinking tap water. Collin County’s water quality is no exception.
The cumulative effect of continuing to ingest these contaminants can be catastrophic. Such diseases and illnesses as cancer, brain damage, fertility issues, and nervous system problems can result. Some of these pollutants are derived from the soil, for instance, microbial contaminants. Others may come directly from human sources, such as fertilizers, pesticides, household waste products, and industrial sources.
Water Tests Conducted on Plano, TX Drinking Water
Plano is the largest city within the county, and it should logically have the best standards for drinking water. As of its most recent testing, there were no outstanding violations discovered in the water. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality performs these tests and delivers the results to the Environmental Working Group. However, although the water complied with federal health-based standards for drinking water, it was not free of contaminants. There were 34 actual contaminants found, including the following:
- Arsenic
- Chloroform
- Chromium
- Aluminum
- Barium
- Selenium
- Cyanide
- Fluoride
- Nitrate
- Cadmium
There were 19 contaminants found in the Plano drinking water that exceed federal guidelines. It should be borne in mind that these guidelines have not been reviewed or updated in two decades. The level of arsenic found was 37 times greater than the allowable limit. Atrazine levels were 2.7 times greater, and bromate was 2.5 times greater. The water quality in Collin County’s biggest city leaves something to be desired.
Sources of Drinking Water for Collin County
Most of the drinking water served to residents of Collin County comes directly from Lavon Lake, Lake Texoma, and the East Fork Water Reuse Project. Each year, the county loads this water with chloramine, which is comprised of chlorine and ammonia. While it is technically safe to drink, most residents are aware of the chlorine smell, and many find it distasteful. Around March of every year, the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) stops adding ammonia and uses standalone chlorine to kill off viruses and parasites.
This gives the water a more pronounced chlorine smell. The NTMWD assures private citizens that this treated water is safe to drink, bathe in, and use for cooking. However, the process of killing off pollutants by adding chemicals is something you really should not expose your family to. Collin County water quality may meet federal standards, but does it meet standards for your family? The only safe tap water is water that is run through a filtration system, so it comes out of your tap free of contaminants and all chemicals.
How a Reverse Osmosis System With ONIT Home Can Improve Your Drinking Water
Reverse osmosis is the most effective for removing contaminants of all types, including all the ones found in Collin County water. Reverse osmosis filtration is capable of removing up to 99% of all contaminants commonly found in drinking water. Most reverse osmosis systems feature a semi-permeable membrane, which intercepts most particles before they ever reach your tap.
System filters will further purify the water by catching dissolved salts and organic materials. Unlike most water filtration systems, reverse osmosis can remove even dissolved particles in the water. It is so effective that it can even remove many kinds of bacteria. Because of this high level of effectiveness, reverse osmosis systems are often used to remove salt from saltwater. They are also used in wastewater treatment, water recycling, and energy production. Osmosis is a naturally occurring process whereby a weaker saline solution will gravitate in the direction of a stronger one.
Reverse osmosis simply reverses this natural order by applying a force that causes the stronger solution to move in the direction of the weaker one. So, when you have two bodies like freshwater and a saline solution, the freshwater will tend to move toward the saline solution. When a semipermeable membrane is situated between these two bodies, only tiny molecules can pass. That means all the larger ones (the pollutants) will become trapped and prevented from proceeding to the other side.
Contact ONIT Home Today
Now that you know a bit more about Collin County water quality, you need to know about ONIT Home’s effective reverse osmosis process. You can never be too careful when it comes to your family’s health, and you also don’t want to be damaging the pipes, fixtures, and plumbing in your household.
The only way you can be sure about what your family members are drinking and bathing in is to have your water tested. After that, it will be a simple matter to have a reverse osmosis water filtration system installed at your residence. From that point on, you’ll know there will be no further health issues related to the tap water you’re using.
Your family’s health is something you don’t want to take lightly. Even if a city like Plano has no outstanding violations of EPA standards, it doesn’t mean the water is free of contaminants. The effect of these contaminants over time can have serious negative consequences for your family members. At ONIT Home, we have the products and the technology to determine the exact quality of your drinking water and provide solutions to have filtered water, straight from the tap.
To get started, visit us online or give us a call at 1-833-433-0331 today.