Water Quality FAQ

The Authority employs the multi-barrier approach to ensuring water quality. This approach focuses on watershed and aquifer management to protect the quality of our drinking water sources, treatment of the water prior to consumption, maintaining the distribution system that delivers the water to the tap, and monitoring the quality to ensure compliance. Our water testing is stringent. Every year we perform more than 120,000 tests on over 12,000 water samples. These tests show the Authority’s water quality meets or, in most cases, is better than, the state and federal standards. We report all of this information on a regular basis to the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

A milky or cloudy appearance is usually caused by air bubbles in the water, which pose no health risk. If the water is allowed to sit, the air will dissipate and the water will clear. If the cloudiness does not disappear, please call us at 203-562-4020 so that we may investigate.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, home treatment units are rarely necessary for health reasons. Most often, water treatment units are used to remove substances that affect the aesthetic qualities of the water. If you do choose to install a home treatment unit, it is important to follow the manufacturer's maintenance instructions, because improperly maintained units can actually cause water quality problems.

The most common cause of odor in hot water is the water heater. If your cold water smells fine, check your water heater to ensure that the temperature setting is correct. Water heaters also need to be maintained (see manufacturer's instructions). 

Color in water is usually caused by naturally occurring organic matter, minerals, or mineral build-up in the pipes. At the Regional Water Authority, we flush our water system regularly to clean mineral build-up and other sediment from the pipes. If you receive discolored water, you should let your faucets run until the water is clear. Such substances typically do not pose a health hazard; however, we ask that you please report any instances of discolored water to us so that we may investigate.

The US Food and Drug Administration requires bottled water quality standards to be the same as those of the US Environmental Protection Agency for tap water, but the quality of the finished product is not monitored. Bottlers must test their source water and finished product once a year. The Regional Water Authority runs over 120,000 tests on over 12,000 water samples every year and reports the results on a regular basis to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Tap water is much less expensive, less than a penny a gallon, more highly regulated and better for the environment.

We conduct regular water system flushing to remove any mineral build-up and sediment from the pipes and also to ensure that water circulates adequately throughout the system. Fire hydrants may also be opened to conduct fire-flow capability tests.

Disinfectants are required because they prevent the spread of germs that cause diseases. Years ago, before disinfectants were used for drinking water, diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, and dysentery were common. Drinking water disinfection has vastly improved the quality and safety of drinking water.

The four most common reasons for bad tasting or smelling water are:

• A noticeable taste that can come from the chlorine that is added to your water to ensure that it is free of harmful bacteria. To reduce any chlorine taste or smell, try refrigerating your water before drinking.
• A rotten-egg odor in some groundwater is caused by a nontoxic (in small amounts) smelly chemical – hydrogen sulfide – dissolved in the water.
• As some algae, bacteria and tiny fungi grow in surface water sources, they give off nontoxic, smelly chemicals that can cause unpleasant tastes in drinking water. Different algae cause different tastes and odors and the little fungi can cause an earthy-musty taste.
• Metallic tastes can come from copper that has dissolved from copper pipe and from iron from rusting iron pipes. Copper can cause short-term health problems like diarrhea and cramping. Iron has no effect on health.

No. Use cold water. Hot water from the tap is more likely to contain rust, copper and lead from your household plumbing and water heater because these contaminants generally dissolve into hot water from the plumbing faster than into cold water.

Almost all natural sources of drinking water contain some fluoride; the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority adjusts the amount of fluoride in the water so a consumer doesn't get too little or too much. By drinking water with the right amount of fluoride, one can prevent tooth cavities. Fluoride was first added to municipal water systems in the 1940s.

The fluoride level in the region’s drinking water is at an optimum level of approximately 0.70 mg/L (parts per million). According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the maximum acceptable level of fluoride is 4.00 mg/L (parts per million). The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) requires us to maintain a monthly average fluoride concentration of between 0.55 and 0.85 parts per million. The RWA is in compliance with both the EPA and the DPH standards for fluoride in the drinking water.