Iron Removal Basics

Central Oregon Water Treatment published a practical guide on one of the most common points of confusion in residential water treatment: whether a water softener can handle iron, and when it can't. The short answer? It depends on the type of iron. Softeners can remove dissolved (ferrous) iron under the right conditions, but struggle with ferric iron (visible rust particles) and can't touch iron bacteria at all. The most common mistake is incorrect system sequencing like water running through a softener before an iron filter, rather than the other way around. Iron that hits the resin first coats the beads over time, reducing softening efficiency, increasing salt and water usage, and shortening the system's lifespan. The correct setup is iron filter first, then softener, with an optional carbon filter downstream.

It's now official: on May 18th, the EPA formally proposed rescinding regulations for four PFAS compounds: PFHxS, PFNA, GenX chemicals (HFPO-DA), and Hazard Index mixtures. The agency's stated rationale is mostly procedural, saying the Biden administration's 2024 rulemaking for these compounds didn't follow the Safe Drinking Water Act's required process, and the EPA says it needs to redo that process correctly. Importantly, the EPA left the door open for potentially stricter standards down the road, noting that future regulation of the same compounds "could result in more stringent requirements." On PFOA and PFOS (the two most common and most studied forever chemicals) the limits stay at 4 ppt, but the compliance deadline for public water systems moves from 2029 to 2031. A virtual public hearing is set for July 7th and public comments are open until July 20th.

Emergency repair? Tight space? No torch available? SharkBite push-to-connect fittings eliminate the need for soldering, threading, and clamps. Just push the pipe in, and the internal grip ring and O-ring create a secure, leak-free connection.

At Specialty Sales, we stock SharkBite's lead-free DZR brass fittings in sizes from 1/4" to 1". These fittings work with multiple pipe types and are NSF/ANSI 61 certified for potable water applications.

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Read our complete guide to SharkBite push-to-connect fittings here

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Polk County's Health Department launched a public water quality campaign this month in response to elevated nitrate levels detected in the Des Moines River and Raccoon River, two of Central Iowa's primary drinking water sources. The EPA's nitrate limit for treated water is 10 mg/L, and the Raccoon River hit 13.13 mg/L in samples taken this month alone. The campaign, titled "Know Your Water, Know Your Health," created a dedicated webpage providing science-based guidance on drinking water safety, recreational water use, and household treatment options. The campaign specifically recommends point-of-use and point-of-entry treatment solutions as part of its household-level guidance, which is a meaningful signal that public health officials are increasingly looking to residential water treatment as part of the answer (not just municipal infrastructure).

In more EPA news, the EPA announced $945.7 million in FY2026 funding to help communities address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water, and there are two details worth flagging. First, private well owners not connected to public water systems are eligible for funding, an expansion introduced in FY2024 that's easy to overlook but could be significant for rural markets. Second, as part of its new PFAS OUT initiative, the EPA is proactively reaching out to water systems with PFOA and PFOS levels above 4 ppt, connecting them with treatment technologies, funding opportunities, and compliance guidance. That means utilities may already be receiving federal outreach about treatment upgrades (and will need installation partners to act on it). The funding covers testing, treatment installation, infrastructure construction, and contaminant source reduction.