Common Water Problems in Pennsylvania & How To Solve Them

Hard water contains high levels of calcium and magnesium. While these minerals are not usually a health concern, they can cause scale throughout your home.

Common signs include white buildup on fixtures, spotted dishes, soap scum, and scale inside appliances. You may also experience appliance and plumbing problems, low water pressure, dry skin and hair, higher soap usage, and stiff, dingy laundry.

Treatment Solutions: A water softener, like the CareSoft Pro softening system, removes hard minerals. This allows you to enjoy soft water throughout your property.

Iron and manganese occur naturally in groundwater and are common well water problems. In fact, iron and manganese may be present in wells and springs across Pennsylvania, and are most frequently found in the state’s northern and western counties. A Penn State survey reported that 17% of sampled private water supplies in PA contained high iron levels.

Iron often causes orange or reddish staining, while manganese can leave dark brown or black stains and tarnish silverware. Other common signs include discolored water, rust flakes in water, a metallic taste or smell, and bacterial slime in pipes and fixtures when iron bacteria or manganese bacteria are present.

Treatment Solutions: Depending on the amount of iron or manganese present, treatment may include a specialty iron or manganese filter, oxidation system, or water softener. Appropriate iron filtration methods will also depend on what type of iron is in your water.

Hydrogen sulfide gas is often responsible for the noticeable “rotten egg” smell associated with well water. The odor may come from groundwater, bacteria, or even reactions inside a water heater. Common signs include a rotten egg odor and sometimes an unpleasant sulfur taste. Hydrogen sulfide can also corrode metal pipes, well equipment, and cause staining.

Treatment Solutions: Aeration, oxidation, activated carbon, or specialty filtration can address sulfur odors once the source has been identified.

Water with a low pH can slowly corrode metal pipes and plumbing fixtures. This can shorten the life of plumbing components and may allow metals to enter the water. Common signs include blue-green stains, pinhole pipe leaks, metallic-tasting water, or visible corrosion.

Treatment Solutions: Acid-neutralizing systems and chemical feed systems can help raise pH and make water less corrosive.

Copper can enter drinking water as copper plumbing corrodes. Acidic or otherwise corrosive water can make this problem worse. Common resulting issues include blue-green staining, metallic taste, or signs of pipe corrosion.

Treatment Solutions: Treatment often starts by correcting the water chemistry that is causing corrosion by using an acid neutralizer. Other filtration may be recommended based on water test results.

Lead usually enters drinking water through older pipes, service lines, solder, faucets, or other plumbing materials. You cannot detect lead by looking at, smelling, or tasting your water. Laboratory testing is necessary to determine whether lead is present.

Treatment Solutions: Certified lead-reduction filtration systems, such as the ONE™ Cartridge Filter Tank, or reverse osmosis (RO) can help reduce lead in your water. Corrosive water should also be addressed, usually with an acid neutralizer, when it contributes to lead contamination.

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in certain rocks and sediments throughout Pennsylvania. Unlike staining or odor problems, arsenic typically gives homeowners no warning that it is present in their water supply. Arsenic has no noticeable taste, color, or odor.

People exposed to arsenic may experience acute and/or ongoing health effects. Long-term arsenic consumption through contaminated drinking water is closely linked to a higher likelihood of skin cancer. Evidence also shows elevated risks for cancers of the bladder, lung, kidney, liver, colon, and prostate.

Treatment Solutions: Reverse osmosis water filtration, arsenic-specific adsorption media, ion exchange systems, or other targeted treatment methods may be recommended after laboratory testing identifies the arsenic level and form present in your water.

Coliform bacteria in a private well can indicate that surface water, runoff, or other contamination has entered the water supply. Because bacteria cannot always be detected by sight or smell, routine well testing is important. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recommends having your well water tested annually for total coliform bacteria.

Often, there are no signs of coliform bacteria in water, although contaminated water may sometimes appear cloudy or have an unusual taste or odor.

Treatment Solutions: Bacterial contamination can often be treated with chemical disinfection or ongoing UV water treatment.

Nitrates can reach groundwater from fertilizer, septic systems, animal waste, and other sources. They have no obvious taste, smell, or appearance, making lab testing especially important for private wells.

Treatment Solutions: Reverse osmosis or anion exchange systems can reduce nitrate levels when properly selected and maintained.

PFAS are a large group of manufactured chemicals that can persist in water and the environment. PFAS water contamination in Pennsylvania has received increased attention in recent years.

Concerns about Pennsylvania drinking water PFOA contamination, along with other PFAS compounds such as PFOS, have increased as testing has expanded. According to a USGS study, 76% of stream water samples (out of 161 Pennsylvania rivers and streams) contained at least one of these chemicals.

PFAS cannot be detected by taste, smell, or appearance. The only reliable way to determine if they are present in water is through laboratory testing.

Treatment Solutions: Depending on test results, granular activated carbon, reverse osmosis, or ion exchange treatment may be used to reduce certain PFAS compounds.

Chloride can enter groundwater naturally or from sources such as road salt and other human activity. High levels may affect the taste of water and can contribute to corrosion. Common signs include a salty taste or visible corrosion of plumbing and fixtures.

Treatment Solutions: Reverse osmosis can reduce chloride in drinking water. High concentrations may require a customized treatment approach.

Sand, silt, clay, rust, and other fine particles can make water look cloudy or leave material at the bottom of a glass. These particles can also clog fixtures and interfere with water treatment equipment. Signs include cloudy water, visible particles, clogged filters and aerators, or sediment in sinks and tubs.

Treatment Solutions: Sediment filters and other water filtration systems can capture particles before water travels through the home.

Historic and active mining areas, particularly in parts of western Pennsylvania, can experience groundwater problems related to mining. According to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, over 5,500 miles of waterways across Pennsylvania are impacted by abandoned mine drainage (AMD). Mine-influenced water may contain elevated iron, manganese, aluminum, sulfates, dissolved minerals, or acidity.

Treatment Solutions: Treatment depends heavily on water chemistry. Testing should identify the specific problem before filtration, pH correction, oxidation, or another treatment method is selected.