Sweet-Tasting Tap Water

Sweet-Tasting Tap Water

Aquasana's latest customer education piece tackles a surprisingly common complaint: sweet-tasting tap water that leaves homeowners confused. The team breaks down seven potential culprits, ranging from high mineral levels (calcium, iron, magnesium) and residual chlorine to pH imbalances and corroding pipes. That said, they note it could also be medical conditions or hormonal changes affecting taste buds rather than actual water issues. While Aquasana writes that municipally-supplied sweet water is generally safe to drink, they emphasize that the only way to know for sure what's in your water is through proper testing, especially for private well owners. The company positions this taste issue as a perfect entry point for their filtration solutions, promoting everything from under-sink filters to whole-house systems and salt-free conditioners as the fix for customers who want their water to taste like water.

EPA’s PFAS Rollback: What’s Changing

SpringWell's chief water specialist Tommy Stricklin is breaking down what the EPA's May PFAS rollback announcement could mean for the industry beyond the regulatory headlines. Stricklin warns that up to 105 million Americans could face prolonged exposure to higher PFAS levels, with communities near chemical plants, military bases, and airports potentially waiting years for meaningful cleanup while vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women bear the greatest risk.

The industry veteran notes the rollback creates legal uncertainty that could let polluters off the hook and erodes public trust in government water safety commitments, a perfect storm that Stricklin says is likely to drive more consumers toward private filtration solutions. The team is capitalizing on these concerns by promoting SpringWell's reverse osmosis systems (which they claim removes 94% or more of PFAS) and whole-house activated carbon filters as reliable defenses, while encouraging customers to test their water and take control of their own protection rather than relying on shifting federal standards.

Iowa Water Challenges

Iowa Capital Dispatch reports on a perfect storm of water challenges across Iowa that's creating serious operational headaches for utilities, and potential opportunities for the treatment industry. Central Iowa Water Works made headlines with its first-ever lawn watering ban after nitrate levels hit 15-17 mg/L in source rivers, forcing their treatment facilities to run nitrate removal systems for 60 straight days at $10,000 per day while struggling to meet demand. And at the same time, southwest Iowa communities are dealing with a completely different crisis—drought conditions so severe that several towns spent nearly a month under boil advisories due to system pressure drops. The team notes that boiling water actually concentrates nitrates rather than removing them, calling out the technical complexity that many consumers don't understand.

Water Filtration for Allergies and Asthma

CGC Home Services is taking an interesting educational approach by connecting water quality to allergy and asthma management, an angle that could resonate more with health-conscious homeowners. The 75-year-old, fourth-generation Kinetico dealer explains how chlorine vapors from hot showers can trigger asthma attacks, hard water can worsen eczema, and unfiltered water can promote mold growth in plumbing systems that release airborne allergens. CGC's team is positioning comprehensive water filtration as a health solution that reduces airborne irritants, prevents mold growth, improves skin conditions, and supports overall immune system function which essentially changes the conversation from "better water" to "better health." The company is betting that framing water treatment as respiratory health management could open up new customer segments beyond traditional water quality concerns.

What else is happening:

• Tulsa takes a budget-friendly approach to storm water treatment, planting wildflowers instead of building expensive filtration systems to tackle E. coli contamination

• iSpring Water Systems uses the 2025 WQA Convention to showcase their latest filtration tech and recruit qualified dealers to expand their distribution network

• Guardian Water Softener doubles down on "educate first, sell second" approach in Utah, using consumer reports and transparency to build trust

• WQA Podcast releases a new episode titled “Innovation in Action” which features a follow up to the presentation about innovation at the 2025 WQA Convention

• Woman-owned New Water Innovations posts a handful of customer reviews directly to their site, serving as a nice testimonial page for new customers