80 Years of Water

Packard Culligan Water, a third-generation family water-treatment business, is marking 80 years in business alongside John Packard’s 80th birthday. Its anniversary reflection traces the family’s leadership through three different Packards, with a real focus on water rather than expansion into unrelated products and services. The company describes its work through the everyday jobs that sustain those relationships: installing softeners, maintaining reverse osmosis systems, completing deliveries, and answering service calls for homes and businesses. Treatment technology, water-quality challenges, and service expectations have changed over those eight decades, but Packard says the customer experience remains its priority rather than growth alone. Its emphasis stays on the work after the initial sale, when equipment needs attention and households and businesses depend on someone showing up.

WPRI reports that Tiverton, Rhode Island, plans to extend public water lines to six homes with PFAS-contaminated wells before winter. The contamination investigation began in July near the local fire station, where officials suspect historical use of firefighting foam contributed to the problem. State environmental officials have since tested nearly 200 wells, with 110 considered contaminated, according to the report. While the water-line extension would serve six affected homes, the state is also arranging filtration installations at homes near the station, and residents can request free bottled water through the town. The Town Council separately approved $50,000 to continue potable-water deliveries and reimburse residents for PFAS testing. The response combines immediate drinking-water assistance with household treatment and a permanent supply change for some properties.

Clearwater Systems, a water-treatment company founded in Northeast Ohio in 1946, is also celebrating 80 years of serving homes and businesses. Its anniversary article includes a piece of dealer history: the company says it became the first authorized independent Kinetico dealer in the United States on June 17, 1974, beginning a partnership that has lasted more than 50 years. Clearwater has since expanded beyond its original region while continuing to offer softeners, whole-home filtration, and drinking-water systems. The company describes its service approach as listening to water concerns, explaining the available options, and recommending treatment suited to the home. Its Certified Water Specialists evaluate issues including hardness, iron staining, sediment, and unpleasant tastes and odors across both private-well and municipal supplies.

Water Treatment Supply, an equipment supplier serving homes and commercial facilities, explains how water chemistry determines treatment selection, with particular attention to what happens upstream of UV disinfection. Hardness can leave scale on a UV unit’s quartz sleeve, iron and manganese can create deposits, and suspended particles can shield microorganisms from the light. Tannins and other UV-absorbing constituents can also reduce UV transmittance, limiting the dose delivered at a given flow rate. The guide recommends testing before selecting equipment and treating conditions that interfere with disinfection before water reaches the UV reactor. It also distinguishes visible clues, such as staining or cloudy deposits, from laboratory results needed to specify treatment. A UV lamp can remain illuminated while fouling or changes in incoming water reduce treatment performance.