Do I need to buy a water softener? What is the hardness of Tampas drinking water?
Some companies sell water softeners to reduce the hardness of the water. The softener’s purpose is to improve the aesthetics or feel of the water. Using a water softener is a matter of personal preference but, using a water softener may not improve the safety or quality of water as it relates to health As water travels over or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals such as calcium or magnesium. The hardness of water refers to the amount of these minerals in the water. Because calcium or magnesium can prevent soaps from lathering or creating suds, cleaning with water containing high amounts of these minerals is considered hard or difficult. Water containing very little calcium or magnesium is called soft water. In general, water from wells contains more minerals because groundwater is exposed to the minerals longer. The hardness of Tampa’s drinking water, primarily taken from the Hillsborough River, fluctuates throughout the year — lower during the wet season and
