Common causes for taste, color and odor issues in water

Nov. 18, 2014

BIRMINGHAM — In Water Technology’s November issue, Assistant Editor Maria Woodie writes about issues pertaining to the quality of consumers’ drinking water, particularly related to water’s taste, color and odor.

BIRMINGHAM — In Water Technology’s November article, “Selling customers on water’s taste, color and odor,” Assistant Editor Maria Woodie writes about how water treatment professionals can educate consumers of water quality issues.

Water treatment dealers can use water quality issues, typically with regards to the taste, odor and color of the consumers’ water, to their sales and marketing advantage and to promote health in drinking water.

In the article, several experts offer a few of the most common causes concerning problems related to the taste, color and odor of water:

  • Chlorine and chloramines
  • Byproducts – typically disinfection byproducts, or DBPs, for example trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs); and byproducts from microbial growths such as algae
  • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
  • Metals/inorganic compounds
  • Hydrogen sulfide.

Consumer awareness of available treatment options for water quality concerns, whether noticeable or not, is not only essential for business profitability but also for the health and safety of the consumer. If the water appears clean, tastes fine and is odor-free, end users will often assume their water is harmless.

You can find the entire November feature on water quality issues here.

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