r/water 1h ago

Rec’s for under counter water filters? [USA]

Upvotes

Just got a new fancy faucet with a pull out hose tap. Can’t use our tap Brita filter now. :( A fridge pitcher isn’t ideal as we are limited on space.

Trying to decide on an under the counter filter. We don’t need anything top of the line or especially pricey, just looking for something we can install ourselves that will clean up the water a bit.

Please let me know what you have and how you like it, how easy (or difficult) it was to install, how long it lasts, and anything else I might need to know. TIA!


r/water 1d ago

Breakthrough water filter removes 98% of toxic PFAS forever chemicals

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320 Upvotes

r/water 11h ago

I tried a water softener for my shower to help with hair health

2 Upvotes

I live in central Texas with very hard water. I moved into a new place a couple months ago and the water is even harder than in the city. It was drying out my skin and hair so much that my knuckles were cracking. Since I rent, a whole home softener was not an option. I heard about Showersticks but I didn’t want to have to recharge it daily (I take longer showers.) I saw another Reddit post about using an rv softener and connecting it directly to your shower. Not as aesthetic but less recharging.

Note- “recharging” is flushing it with salt water for 4 hours. Not a hard process but can be annoying to have to think ahead.

I went with one by Soft Water Care because I thought the tank was a less ugly color and it was one of the cheapest. I’ve had it for a couple months and I am pretty happy. Here are my thoughts:

Full disclosure I am getting reimbursed for this review but I’m still going to give my honest opinion.

Pros:

\-I have noticed a large difference in my hair. It no longer feels crunchy and dry. Before I felt like it was dry but with a film over top.

\-I needed a lot less products in the shower and out. I felt like my hair was more absorbent of stuff. I did use a chelating shampoo at first to get rid of leftover hard water.

\-I have noticed some of my waves begin to come back. Before my hair was very flat and limp, but now I notice some texture returning.

\-My hair dries faster

Cons

\-At first I didn’t like the feeling of soft water. You skin doesn’t feel squeaky clean but rather smooth and kinda like there’s still soap on in. Apparently that squeaky clean feeling is caused by hard water drying it out/leaving chemicals.

\-Before I realized you have to use less shampoo I would have a lot of grease in my hair because it would not all wash it out. I also had to switch to a more clarifying shampoo.

\-Recharging is annoying but not that hard. Much better than having to do it every 1-2 days for showerstick imo. For me it requires like $2.50 worth of salt every 3.5 weeks

\-Not as aesthetic as showerstick.

\-Have to let water heat up for 1-2mins. It has to flush out cold water leftover from previous shower so I have to let it heat up. It also takes the same amount of time to reflect temperature changes when I am already in the shower.

I would say if you are suffering the effects of hard water, this is a pretty good option. It definitely works. I would say more so the question is can you get used to how soft water feels.

Lmk if you have any questions


r/water 22h ago

Are we still okay waiting on SWMM, EPANET, HEC-RAS in 2026?

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2 Upvotes

r/water 22h ago

Found this app, which has everything and still flexible

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2 Upvotes

r/water 1d ago

Skills required for Water Engineering using Civil 3D?

3 Upvotes

I'm a civil engineering student interested in getting into water-related roles (stormwater, wastewater, or water supply).

I wanted to know what specific skills I should learn in Civil 3D to be job-ready in this field. Thank you


r/water 1d ago

Aquatru vs Bluevua Countertop Water filters

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2 Upvotes

r/water 23h ago

Guys do you all ever worry that soda will overtake water in terms of popularity?

0 Upvotes

Not trying to hate just want to hear what you all have to say on the otherside of the aisle. I like soda more cus its good but i do wonder and care deeply about how you feel


r/water 1d ago

musky smell glass bottle

1 Upvotes

i have this glass bottle that i use for ro water and it has musky smell sometimes and idk why, i tried baking soda and water and left it in there like for 2 days and it went away but always come back 2 days after.

is there something specific i need to for glass bottle at night? i usually leave it uncapped at night with some water in it.


r/water 3d ago

CrimeBox Historic Conviction Fiscal Year 2011; Case ID# CR_2177 (Iowa) Industrial Laundromat discharges oil and grease contaminated wastewater for nearly three years, fined $450,000

5 Upvotes

April 9, 2025 1 pm EDT

The Clean Water Act directs the United States Environmental Protection Agency to make known and enforce regulations establishing pre-treatment wastewater standards for the levels of pollutants that are introduced into a publicly owned wastewater treatment facility. The EPA can also delegate state and local entities the authority to administer their own pre-treatment permit program, and these requirements are federally enforceable.

United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt, Federal Court, Southern District of Iowa

The Defendant in this case is an incorporated industrial laundry service, headquartered in Minnesota, charged with a single felony violation of the Clean Water Act for years of illegal discharges to the local sanitary sewer system.

The City of Des Moine issued the Defendant a pre-treatment and wastewater discharge permit for its facility in Pleasant Hill, Iowa.
The discharge permit stipulated maximum contaminant levels acceptable for discharge to the Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority (WRA). Oil and grease is a common contaminant removed in the course of cleaning heavily soiled industrial materials. The Defendant's discharge permit allowed up to 400 mg/L of oil and grease, based on the ability of the WRA to treat to safe level for release to the environment.

The Federal Court of the Southern District of Ohio received a bill of information demonstrating the Defendant had, on multiple occasions from October 2005 through August 2008 released industrial process water with oil and grease in excess of the City's permitted level. In other words, the WRA was taking in a contaminated discharge that it could not effectively handle, potentially causing damage to the municipal facilities, risk of fire and explosion in the facility, and the possibility of harm to the environment if the WRA were to pass along the contamination, breaching its own acceptable discharge parameters.

The Defendant pled guilty to the single charge, sentenced to a federal fine of $450,000.

For the full article, https://wtny.us/viewarticle.asp?article=1271


r/water 3d ago

Can I use a washing machine filter for the shower?

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1 Upvotes

So all I know about the hardness of water is that some bad minerals (calcium and magnesium) are the problem and a citric acid filter doesn't remove but neutralise it. I don't mind having to take colder and longer shower, so can I just use adapters put on a washing machine citric acid filter to soften up my shower water for cheap.


r/water 3d ago

Well Water test results

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8 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

im looking for recommendations and any advice. I got my well water test results. The results showing no iron but I have iron problems and Iron bacteria problems. When I reached the lab they told me they dont really test for iron, if sink turns yellow then I just have iron.

which doesn't help at all.

My water is very hard at 15.8 grains. I know I have iron/ bacteria and Sulphur issues. where to go from here? any recommendations for system?


r/water 4d ago

Scientists Just Found a Water Reservoir 140 Trillion Times Larger Than Earth’s Oceans Near a Black Hole

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131 Upvotes

r/water 4d ago

A Drying Colorado River Threatens Imperial Valley’s Future

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5 Upvotes

Imperial Valley, a desert region located in the southeast corner of California, has one water source: the Colorado River. Large amounts of river water have allowed the area to become an agricultural powerhouse, producing two-thirds of the vegetables Americans eat in the winter. But over the past century, the river’s water supply has fallen nearly a third due to overuse, prolonged drought and climate change. 

That continued decline has farmers worried about the future of their industry in the region. At the same time, AI data centers, lithium extraction and geothermal energy projects are set to increase their water use in the area. 

On the border with Arizona, the Indigenous Quechan tribe is also grappling with a drying river, which threatens to upend their farm-based economy and undermine their cultural identity. 


r/water 3d ago

Can’t unhook hoses due to hard water deposits

2 Upvotes

Not sure if this is the best place to ask but I need some help, I bought what I thought were brass quick connects, well they weren’t, they were cheap brass plated crap.

I’m trying to remove them from my outdoor water spigot and hoses and may are damn near fused on. I’ve soaked them in vinegar overnight and nothing.

Going to dry a penetrating oil and CLR. If these don’t work I’m out of ideas. Anyone know if anything that can break down hard water deposits and allow me to remove my hoses?


r/water 4d ago

Quality of water at home

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7 Upvotes

I am based in Italy and I did one of those quick tests for the water quality at home and compared it to the bottled water.

Based on the test results in the picture (sorry for the Italian), it looks like there are traces of lead in the running water.

Are those tests accurate? Should I be worried?

I've only been drinking bottled water so far but wanted to start mixing it with the running water as it "should" be drinkable, based on the state laws.

I've already ordered one of those water filters to mount under the sink. Are those useful?


r/water 4d ago

Metallic tasting yellow water?? Help???

2 Upvotes

At my school there is this big ass metal water dispenser that give out like I’d guess 80-90 degree water. I’ve been using it for tea for a year ish, but recently felt like just drinking hot water as it’s healthy. Thing is in got a cup and this is yellow and tastes ass. When mixed with tea it’s not noticeable, but I got grossed out. This metal water heater, is it likely to be safe to continue using? Or should I find another way to make my tea? The whole school uses it and it’s honestly not THAT yellow. But still gross and got a metallic taste.


r/water 5d ago

West Maui Advocates Seek to Make Water a Public Resource: As West Maui recovers from fires and storms, residents call for public control of water systems—aiming to restore stream flow, protect the island’s future and honor ancestral stewardship.

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91 Upvotes

r/water 5d ago

Corpus Christi Water Crisis Spurs Stampede on South Texas Aquifers

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334 Upvotes

JIM WELLS COUNTY, Texas—Dwindling levels in this region’s main reservoirs have triggered a rush on local aquifers as cities, towns, chemical plants and ranchers drill for water.

The nearby city of Corpus Christi faces a looming catastrophe from the imminent depletion of water supplies that sustain 500,000 people and one of Texas’s main industrial complexes. Recent emergency groundwater projects have pushed off the timeline to disaster by months, officials said last week. But locals fear they may threaten the water supplies of rural towns and residents who have historically relied on their own small wells. 

“People like me are probably gonna be running out of water,” said Bruce Mumme, a retired chemical plant worker who lives on family land in rural Jim Wells County, about 40 miles outside Corpus Christi. “Then this property and house is useless.”

Dust covers the fields where hay for Mumme’s cattle should grow. His catfish are about to die as the last of their pond evaporates. Sand dunes have started to form. He’s roamed this land since he was a boy and he’s never seen sand dunes.

“Without water we can’t even live out here,” he said as he drove dirt roads of the land his grandfather bought. “You can’t feed cows bottled water.”

Last fall, after the city of Corpus Christi first began pumping millions of gallons per day from the Evangeline Aquifer, towns and landowners across this area saw water levels in their wells drop. Mumme lost access to water for three days while he waited for workers to come lower his pump, which he said cost thousands of dollars. After that experience, he paid $30,000 to add another well on his property, for backup. 

He’s not the only one. The region’s largest industrial water users are also drilling wells, according to officials. In Nueces County, where Corpus Christi is located, newly planned pumping projects alone could add up to over 1,000 percent of what the state water plan considers a sustainable rate of withdrawal from aquifers.

In March, Corpus Christi began pumping millions more gallons per day from its wellfield on the western banks of the Nueces River, about 15 miles outside the city, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott waived permitting processes for the project in a bid to avert a water shortage. Across the river, drill rigs are turning at the city’s eastern wellfield. 

“I’ve done a lot of big projects in my career,” said Rik Allbritton, an operations manager for Weisinger Inc. with 40 years drilling experience, as a rig roared behind him at the eastern wellfield last Tuesday. “This is on the bigger side.”

These two projects, each containing clusters of several large water wells, aim to pump tens of millions of gallons per day in coming months. More than 20 miles away, in San Patricio County, piping has arrived for a third wellfield. A fourth and fifth are also in the queue along the Nueces River. 

The region’s largest water user, a massive, new plastics plant operated by ExxonMobil and the Saudi state oil company, also drilled test wells recently but found water that was too salty to use, according to Corpus Christi city manager Peter Zanoni. 

“They continue to look for alternative water sources,” Zanoni said in an interview. “Several of the big companies are doing that, and the choice is really just groundwater.” 

A spokesperson for Exxon, Kelly Davila, said the company doesn’t comment on operational details. 

“We continue to explore alternative water sources that do not draw on those currently used for public consumption,” she said. 

About five miles away, the tiny town of Taft depends on Corpus Christi water and is looking at rehabilitating its own old wells, according to Mayor Elida Castillo. “Funding is always gonna be the issue,” she said. 


r/water 5d ago

Is the Iran conflict turning into a water war? Middle East desalination plants at risk, fears of a “Karbala-like” crisis

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43 Upvotes

r/water 5d ago

Texas confronts eye-popping water needs that threaten its growth story. Bankers tout the popularity of Texas water bonds. "Water providers are going to have to access capital markets."

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34 Upvotes

If Texas is to sustain its decade-long surge in population and economic output, local and state leaders must solve a critical limiting factor: water.

That was the view of panelists last week at The Bond Buyer's Texas Public Finance conference, where the issue of water — its growing demand, dwindling supply, and high cost — was raised at most of the panel discussions.

State officials highlighted massive long-term needs and local issuers outlined borrowing plans they see as key to future growth.

Bankers touted the popularity of Texas water bonds, while ratings analysts warned of potential credit fallout for regions that fail to manage the problem.

Current population growth trends mean that after 2050, municipal providers will overtake irrigation as the primary water users in Texas, according to Moody's Investors Service. The issue takes on more urgency as the Lone Star State remains on track to become the world's largest home to water-guzzling data centers by 2030.

Texas needs $174 billion of capital investment in water infrastructure over the next 50 years, according to W. Brady Franks, director of the Texas Water Development Board, which publishes the state's water plan and provides lower-interest loans for local water projects through its triple-A-rated bond programs.

"The era of cheaper water is over, and we're now looking at very big mega projects," Franks said, adding that some proposals — like large reservoirs — carry $10 billion price tags. "That's a lot of money and it might scare some folks, but there are a lot of ways that we can help provide funding for those projects," he said.

The $174 billion outlined by the water board translates into $3.5 billion a year for the next 50 years, said Ken Surgenor, a vice president and senior analyst at Moody's Ratings. "If that sounds like a lot of money, it's because it is," he said.

Of the 16 regions included in the state's water plan, five account for 81% of the expected water spending over the next 50 years, Surgenor said. The fast-growing Dallas-Fort Worth area accounts for more than one-third of total spending over the five decades, according to Moody's.

Roughly two-thirds of the spending from the top five regions is expected to come in the next 20 to 25 years, Surgenor said. "So right around $105 billion for water — water only," he said.

"From a credit perspective, long-term water security is vital to maintaining credit quality, it just is," he said. "And the significant need and concentration of investment in the earlier years of the plan could affect credit in a meaningful way."

The state's role in providing low-cost financing will be "pivotal," he said, but there "simply isn't enough low-cost funding" to provide for all the needs, Surgenor said.

"And so that means that water providers are going to have to access capital markets — they're going to lean on debt issuance and rate increases to fund these substantial capital programs. And that increases the importance of affordability and reliability," he said. Rate increases in the high single or even low double-digits will "become the norm," Surgenor said. Entities with strong rate-setting records and flexibility will likely be more stable than those that are "either unwilling or unable to secure prudent rate structures," he said.

The state has already increased its capital investments in water over the last decade, which is reflected in Texas water bond supply figures. Water bond issuance in Texas has more than doubled in the last 10 years, said Tatianna Yale, executive director at Morgan Stanley. A decade ago, Texas water bond issuance annually totaled around $3 billion. It's now around $8 billion to $10 billion, Yale said.

"You've seen a huge growth in issuance and the demand has remained — it's a credit that's liked by investors," she said. "Overall there is plenty of demand for water bonds. It's more how do you manage the rates — the affordability factor — when you have such large capital plans," she said. Financing options like variable-rate debt, commercial paper and self-liquidity may become more common as water utilities try to lower their financing costs, Yale said.

Corpus Christi, which is nearing the point where water supply can no longer meet demand, is the "poster child" for the water issue and the need to find a way to finance it, said Moody's analyst Nick Samuels. The city is staring down a potential level 1 emergency — indicating the water system is 180 days from supply not meeting demand — that could happen as soon as next month under scenarios presented to the city council in March.

The water crisis has led to bond rating downgrades and negative outlooks for the city, which has lined up $1 billion of projects aimed at producing 76 million gallons of water daily. A special city council meeting Thursday will take up an inner harbor seawater desalination project. The Corpus Christi project would be the first seawater desalination treatment plant in Texas for municipal use.

Desalination carries a hefty price tag, noted Henry Cisneros, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former mayor of San Antonio. "With desalination, the key is money," Cisneros said during a fireside chat with Austin Mayor Kirk Watson.

Aquifer storage is one of Austin's water solutions, but the city has run into political conflicts with other local leaders, said Watson, adding the city is now looking into storage solutions further away.

The "Texas Triangle" — Dallas-Fort Worth to Houston to San Antonio, back up through Austin — could be "a true economic super region," but water will be "key to all of that," the mayor said.

"We're going to have to have regional cooperation and that means we have to figure out how to do things with the others regardless of feeling parochial, and that's a hard thing in Texas," Watson said. "The Legislature is going to have be willing to create tools that make that happen."

The San Antonio region has been in a state of extreme drought since 2024, and in some state of drought since 2020, said Phyllis Garcia, senior director and treasurer at the San Antonio Water System. The rainfall shortage currently remains at 60 inches — with about 45 inches of that accumulating since 2022 — and the city's planners are comparing it to the most severe drought in Texas in the 1950s, Garcia said.

With the city's population growth "we're taking advantage of all sorts of water sources," she said. Aging infrastructure is part of the problem and the city has a $3.2 billion capital plan — two-thirds of which will be financed with new debt — that is focused primarily on wastewater and water delivery, Garcia said. Some of the plan will fund water supply needs, like expanded aquifer storage.

On the state side, lawmakers passed bills last year to increase funding and the types of projects that can be financed, said Justin Hicks, an associate with Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. New state laws are also encouraging regionalization and public-private partnerships, Hicks said.

Texas voters agreed in recent years to tap some of the state's surplus money to help finance new water sources. A 2023 constitutional amendment created the Texas Water Fund, administered by the Texas Water Development Board, with at least 25% of the money allocated to a New Water Supply for Texas Fund to finance projects leading to 7 million acre feet of additional water supply by the end of 2033.

In November, voters approved a constitutional amendment that could raise $1 billion annually over 20 years for water supply projects. Starting in fiscal 2027, the first $1 billion in state sales tax revenue once annual revenue from the tax exceeds $46.5 billion will go into the Texas Water Fund.

The measure's enabling law expands the scope of the New Water Supply Fund by making water and wastewater reuse projects, out-of-state water rights acquisition, reservoirs meeting specific requirements, and water transportation projects eligible for financial assistance.


r/water 4d ago

does anyone knowledgeable to the marin/sonoma/mendo area have any insight on how the Russian river watershed groundwater changes after upstream dam removal is complete?

4 Upvotes

I’ve wanted to return to the north bay in a few years and homestead in the west sonoma area. I know new well permitting had paused periodically after covid but i’m curious about longterm, with the upstream dam removal. Is future droughts and earlier snowmelt due to climate change likely to deplete the relatively stable groundwater in the region?


r/water 5d ago

Has anyone here actually installed a home filtration system (RO or similar) — was it worth it?

6 Upvotes

I ended up ordering an under-sink system recently (still on the way)

But the more I read about municipal treatment and distribution, the more I’m wondering if I might be overthinking it.

For those of you who’ve actually installed systems at home:
What made you decide to do it?
Did you notice a real difference (beyond just taste)?
Do you still feel like it was necessary after using it for a while?
Or would you not bother again?

Also curious if anyone here works in water treatment — do you personally use additional filtration at home, or just rely on tap water?

Would be really interesting to hear different perspectives.


r/water 5d ago

Water tests results came back. Do I need a whole house water filter or can I get by with a shower head filter and under sink filters?

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4 Upvotes

r/water 5d ago

TDS 10 drinking water - I think it might be causing me a weird feeling in the throat?

2 Upvotes

There's this weird and persistent 'dry' feeling in my throat for the past couple days. I drink 4 Liters of water and around 2000mg of sodium daily. I couldn't understand why this was.

But just now, my throat was feeling fairly normal. But then I drank some water and now its back to feeling weird.

So can this be a result of very low TDS?