Do Revese Osmosis Water Filtration Systems help during "Boiled Water Advisories"?

Question

We have had a reverse osmosis water filtration unit for about 2 years now. Our town has recently been advised to boil water, and told that our water is not good for drinking.

Would our reverse osmosis water filtration unit make the water safe? Can we drink it from the rowf tap? Can we use it? Do we still need to boil water?

Please include web sourses, for I have tried to look this up on the internet and couldn't find anything?

Answer 1

No. Not unless your particular unit is certified to make contaminated water potable. Reverse Osmosis will greatly REDUCE, but not eliminate all contaminates. You should still boil the water.

According to Wickipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osm...

reverse osmosis is one of several steps used in public water systems to make water safe to drink.

Information on a university web site is generally deemed unbiased--they have nothing to sell unless they are working on a grant from a corporate sponser who does have something to sell. Below is from North Dakota State Univ. Agriculture Dept. website:

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/h2oqual/wats...

What impurities will reverse osmosis remove?

Reverse osmosis (RO) has become a common method for the treatment of household drinking water supplies. Effectiveness of RO units depends on initial levels of contamination and water pressure. RO treatment may be used to reduce the levels of:

Naturally occurring substances that cause water supplies to be unhealthy or unappealing (foul tastes, smells or colors).

Substances that have contaminated the water supply resulting in possible adverse health effects or decreased desirability.

RO systems are typically used to reduce the levels of total dissolved solids and suspended matter. The principal uses of reverse osmosis in Minnesota and the Dakotas are for the reduction of high levels of nitrate, sulfate, sodium and total dissolved solids.

RO units with carbon filters may also reduce the level of some SOCs (soluble organic compounds) like pesticides, dioxins and VOCs (volatile organic compounds like chloroform and petrochemicals). An RO unit alone may not be the best solution for these types of contaminants, but installing a properly design-ed RO unit to reduce the levels of other contaminants may provide a reduction in SOCs and VOCs.

Good luck! rrr