Most people drink tap water without seconding guessing if it’s safe or not. They think, “tap water is treated so it’s safe to drink, right”?
Wrong! “According to the Environmental Working Groups last report (2009) on national drinking water revealed 316 contaminants in water supplied to 256 million Americans in 45 states” (CNN).
That’s 90% of Americans that are drinking tap water with some form of contaminants. No wonder people drink water that is filtered!
St. Joseph Louisiana happens to be one of many places that are experiencing issues with their tap water. The Louisiana Department of Health found that their tap water has over 32 times the Iron that is suggested for consumption. The water system is old and deposits from the pipes have been leaking into the water as it makes its way to households. Even though the water is deemed “safe to drink” the water is brown, smells, and tastes poorly. Some people of St. Joseph are refusing to use the water because of this.(CNN)
The town is looking to update the old and deteriorating water system in the future to provide clean, better water for its residents. However, that could take years to complete before the situation is totally resolved. The residents have battled the water issue by not drinking the tap water and buying bottled water to use at their homes. Some are driving 45 minutes out-of-town to enjoy clear and clean water. Others have tried to use their refrigerator water filters to fix the problem. The Mayor of St. Joseph, Edward Brown, brought in two water filters from local residents for a regular town meeting to show the results. These filters were caked in sludge only after a few weeks of use. The filters were effective but only for a short period of time.
The people of St. Joseph show why it’s necessary to change your refrigerator water filter regularly. Their situation brings up a question frequently asked, “how often should you change your refrigerator water filter?” Here at Discount Filters we recommend replacing your fridge filter every six months but it really depends on how often do you use your fridges water filter system, and the amount of contaminants in your water. It can be hard to know the levels exactly but a tell tale sign that you need to replace your filter is when the taste or smell have changed for the worse. Keep track of how long the filter lasted and repeat the process a couple of times to determine how often you really need to change your refrigerator’s water filter.
Changing your filter regularly helps to assure you are getting the best water possible drinking water. Like states earlier, there are 316 containment’s found in tap water that is supplied too 256 million Americans. So even if your tap water doesn’t look like the town of St. Josephs, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t possible contaminants in your water. Changing your filter regularly helps to assure you are getting the best water possible drinking water. By choosing to drink filtered water and regularly changing your refrigerators water filter you will be able to reduce odor, taste, and possibly certain contaminants in your water!
Resources:
CNN
Richlandtoday.com
