Water Quality and Treatment Options in Palm Harbor, Florida

Introduction

Palm Harbor is a city in Pinellas County along Florida's Gulf Coast. With over 60,000 residents, it is a popular Tampa suburb known for waterfront views, parks, golf courses, and historic downtown. However, Palm Harbor faces challenges regarding water quality due to its location, infrastructure, and supply sources. This article examines key contaminants in Palm Harbor's water, health/environmental impacts, and effective treatment solutions for homes and businesses.

Potential City Water Contaminants

Palm Harbor purchases treated drinking water from Pinellas County Utilities. This comes from groundwater wells and treated surface water. While this meets EPA standards, concerning levels of the following may occur:

Disinfection Byproducts

Chlorination forms byproducts like trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), which are potentially carcinogenic [1]. Palm Harbor's water has sometimes exceeded EPA limits for these. Activated carbon filtration can help reduce these contaminants.

Nitrates

From fertilizer runoff, nitrates in excess have been linked to “blue baby syndrome” and potential cancers [1]. Periodic spikes above EPA limits occur in Palm Harbor’s system. Reverse osmosis systems effectively remove nitrates.

Lead

Corrosive water can leach lead from old pipes into the water supply. Lead is a neurotoxin harmful to children [1]. Pinellas County has many lead service lines still in use. AquaCarbonGuard water filters can remove lead.

Potential Well Water Contaminants

Many Palm Harbor homes and businesses use private wells tapping the surficial or Upper Floridan aquifers. Common contaminants include:

Coliform Bacteria

From animal/human waste, coliforms can contaminate wells and indicate more dangerous bacteria like E. coli [2]. Septic systems are a major bacteria source in Florida groundwater. The AquaGuard UV system kills 99.9% of bacteria.

Nitrates

As mentioned above, fertilizer runoff also affects Florida wells drawing from shallow tables. Contamination is a growing problem in some regions [2]. Reverse osmosis systems can remove nitrates.

Hydrogen Sulfide

This foul-smelling gas indicates reducing conditions and bacterial activity in wells. It corrodes plumbing and is costly to treat [2]. Oxidizing filters like the AquaCarbonGuard eliminate hydrogen sulfide gas.

Iron

Soluble iron causes reddish-brown water, fouls plumbing, and supports iron bacteria growth. Iron bacteria form black slime in wells [2]. Oxidizing media filters like AquaCarbonGuard are effective.

Hardness Minerals

Dissolved limestone makes Florida well water very hard. This causes scale buildup, detergent issues, and dry skin/hair [2]. The AquaLux water softener solves hardness problems.

Sodium and Chloride

Coastal Palm Harbor wells often have elevated sodium and chloride from saltwater intrusion into aquifers. This damages plumbing and plants [2]. A reverse osmosis system can remove sodium and chloride.

Recommended Treatment Solutions

Effective water treatment systems for Palm Harbor include:

Activated Carbon Filtration

Carbon filtration removes contaminants like radon, hydrogen sulfide, pesticides, and chlorine. Whole-house carbon tanks like AquaBlue offer comprehensive chemical filtering [3].

Reverse Osmosis (RO)

RO uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove dissolved salts, metals, nitrates, sodium, chlorides, and other contaminants. AquaRevive RO systems are very thorough [3].

Water Softening

Softeners like AquaLux replace hardness minerals with sodium ions, preventing scale and improving soap lather [3].

Sediment Filtration

Multi-layered sediment filters protect other treatment equipment by trapping particles like sand and silt [3].

Oxidizing Filters

Oxidizing media removes iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, and iron bacteria from well water. AquaCarbonGuard is an effective oxidizing filter [3].

Chlorine Injection

Injecting chlorine into well water kills bacteria and oxidizes iron, manganese, and hydrogen sulfide [3].

Our water experts can test your water and design the optimal whole-house or point-of-use system to remove your specific contaminants and deliver clean, safe water. Schedule your free water test today!

References

[1] EPA Drinking Water Standards and Regulations https://www.epa.gov/dwstandardsregulations

[2] UF/IFAS Florida Well Water Contaminants https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/water-wells-构/potential-contaminants/

[3] Water Treatment Methods for Contaminant Removal https://www.watersystemscouncil.org/water-treatment/