House municipal water problems

[Wally]

I live in Westchester County NY and get my water from Greenburgh Consolidated Water District. We always had and used a whole house water filter (came with the house). 10 years ago the sediment filters (rated at 16,000 gallons) would last 2 to 3 months before needing replacement. In 2005 they began to get clogged/dirty more quickly and I needed to replace every

2 - 3 weeks. At that time I emailed the Superintendant of the water district who basically quoted me a standard response on how the water undergoes stringent testing each year and is guaranteed safe. Back in 2005 he said a filter is a personal preference thing and shouldn't be necessary.

Recently I replace filters every 3 days before they clog and severely restrict water flow to the house. The clor of the dirty filter appears a sick dark red/brown which would indicate rust.

So, something has gotten a lot worse in the past 3 years and I cannot go on like this replacing filters every 3 days. If I take the filter out my washed clothes begin to get stains and my toilets also start to stain. I never drink the house water - even with a filter I still use a Brita pitcher for drinking water, or just buy bottled water.

I believe the town (DPW) should at least come out and dig up the street connection to the house to determine the next course of action. I also believe they should take one of my used filters and pay to have it tested to see what the "dirt" is.

I've written emails to the town of Greenburgh water department, the DPW, as well as the town supervisor and all I've gotten is a run- around at best or no response at worse.

Where else should I be writing/calling to complain about this? I'll start with the county dept of health bureau of environmental quality. Are there higher authorities in NYS, etc?

Thanks, Walter

[Pipedown]

I'd start with the section of pipe between the city connection (water meter) and your filter. If you have galvanized steel pipe in your home then you are most likely the cause of the increase in sediment and rust even if there is only 10 or so feet before the filter, that can contribute a substantial amount of rust. over 10 years, I would expect significant deterioration of galv steel piping.

Also determine the material of the buried supply line between your sidewalk and house, if it is copper good but if it is not, consider replacing that.

Could your filter have changed. In 05, did you find a new brand or less expensive source or id you start buying a finer filter unintentionally.

If you are replacing filters that often then it should be worth the investment to get a filter that can flush itself. The extra cost up front will be drown out by not having to buy filters so often.

Did you check to see if the water district changed its primary source of water. During times of drought and for other reasons like service to pipelines it is common to switch from reservoir to well sources or to another source entirely.

Oh and he is right about filtering being a personal preference. Humans can drink quite dirty water (mineral dirt not organic or chemical contaminants) and survive quite well. Our ancestors may never have drank a glass as pure as you insist upon. Perfectly pure water is an obsession not a necessity. Write all the letters you want, there is nothing they can do since there is nothing wrong with the city water. You need to pay for your own water assay, why do people think that it someone else responsibility, is it because they usually don't have to do it themselves, those test cost the city money and if I lived in your city, I wouldn't want to pay for your paranoia. You haven't finished proving there is any problem at all yet.

[Oren]

The money, time, and, effort spent replacing filters every few days and buying drinking water (fuel cost) is wasted, IMO.

YOU have the filter tested. When you come up with something serious; perhaps call the county again, but not until.

[Boden]

What is the filter collecting? Do your neighbors have a similar situation? Is it possible that there is a break in the water line to your house that is causing you to draw in dirt, etc?

[John A. Weeks III]

Do you want the city mayor to come to your house and tuck you into bed each night, too? This is the real world out here, and if you want to get anything done, you have to do it yourself. You cannot expect others to be living just to take care of you and your whims.

As far as the water pipe from the street to your house, that is your responsibility. You can get a plumbing company to come out and run a scope through it to see if there are any problems.

As far as the water quality goes, your local or state department of health likely can do water tests for you. Here in MN, the MN state dept of health does that.

Even if you do find the problem, you may find that your city doesn't have the money or desire to fix it. In that case, you may simply have to get a bigger sized filter. Your plumber can help you there. You want a unit that looks like a big water softener, and one that runs a back flush every so often. That way, the layers of stuff in the filter catch the materials in the water, and the backflush cleans out the filters media. The result is no filters to get clogged or to have to replace.

-john-

[hallerb]

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first move, take a cloged filter to the local water companies office and ask to see the president, or whoever is in charge.

you get more help when you are a living breathing person standing in front of the responsible person.

e mails are the least effective means to get help

[John Grabowski]

In NJ the homeowner is responsible for the water pipe from the street to the house. If none of your neighbors are experiencing the same problem, you should call in a plumber for his opinion. You might want to get the sediment in the filter tested so you know exactly what you are dealing with. Occasionally the water company in my area will flush the fire hydrants to get sediment out. When they do that the tap water is brown for a few hours. In the past they have sent notices to this effect.

[Oren]

We have the World's happiest Mayor in Las Vegas.

He travels with a martini and Vegas show girls. Not sure they tuck anybody in at night.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Take a filter and request a meeting with the superintendent. In most cases, he is correct, but if ther is a problem in your line, your street, or whatever, he should be concerned. Changing every three days is clearly a problem. If you get no satifaction, find out who his boss is and go up the ladder. In our town, the meetings of the water and sewer authority are open to the public so you can take your filter there, perhaps to a local newspaper too.

Remember to approach this lin a good businesslike manner as raving lunatics don't fare well. If you get no satisfaction, politely and calmly tell him you are heading over to the newspaper office to see if they are interested in doing an article on the town water quality.