Discolored, smelly tap water. That can't leave a good taste in your mouth

Residents near Lake Houston complain of smelly, discolored water

KHOU 11 News,  Houston, Texas

HOUSTON—Residents in a brand new neighborhood on the shores of Lake Houston say the biggest problem they have is what drew them here in the first place: the water.

It’s not the water in the lake, but the water coming from their taps that is the trouble. They said the water is discolored brown, white, even pink sometimes and horrible smelling.

Hundreds of residents met Thursday night to try and decide exactly what they can do to get the problem fixed.

The MUD district said that it is doing all it can, most recently sending a letter to residents telling them about a hyper chlorination program that started last week.

The water is a mix of the lake and well water, and people who live here say it is still a problem.

One resident showed us the water in his bathroom sink. Read more...

Soft and hard water behave differently, from cleaning power to corrosion potential

Apparently, all tap water is not created equal.

Some water is deemed "hard," and other is considered to be "soft." And here's the confusing part: Hard water isn't better than soft in all situations, and soft isn't always preferable.

Confused yet? We explain the ins and outs of each below.

The basics

Hard water: Contains relatively high amounts of calcium and magnesium. This happens when the water comes in contact with rocks or soil. In the United States, 85 percent of the water is hard, according to aU.S. Geological Survey.

Soft water: Contains few or no extra elements. It can be naturally occurring, or produced with water treatment devices that remove hardness elements, such as calcium and magnesium.

Cleaning

Hard water: Certain minerals in the hard water interact with the soap or detergent, which keep it from interacting with soils, stains and dirty dishes.

Soft water: Softened water reduces the need for detergent by more than 50 percent because it doesn't contain the minerals that interact with the cleaning products. Washing in the cold water setting instead of the hot water setting achieves the same or better stain removal compared to results in hard water, according to a 2011 study conducted by the Scientific Services S/D Inc, a New York-based laboratory focused on testing laundry detergents.

Showering   Read more..