Pentair Perchlorate Filter

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Deciding How to Address Perchlorate When Your Current System Is Strained

This week, households in Clackamas County, OR, using water treatment equipment that still functions but can no longer keep up with perchlorate challenges must decide how best to respond to ongoing water quality needs.

How Perchlorate Differs from Commonly Confused Water Quality Issues

Perchlorate is an ion sometimes found in water supplies due to natural and human-made sources. Unlike many commonly confused water problems such as hardness or iron staining, perchlorate is not governed by an enforceable federal maximum contaminant level (MCL). Government monitoring of the Wilsonville, City of system, which serves part of Clackamas County, found no perchlorate detected above the reporting level of 4.0 micrograms per liter in 18 samples taken during 2002 and 2003. This means perchlorate presence was either undetectable or below that threshold during that monitoring period. Consequently, perchlorate is distinct because it has no regulatory health-based violation record for this public water system and is measured differently from other water constituents.

How Plumbing Materials and Age Do Not Influence Perchlorate Levels

While plumbing materials and the age of your home’s pipes can affect water qualities such as lead presence or metallic tastes, they do not affect perchlorate levels. Perchlorate originates primarily from water sources before entering the home plumbing system, so the condition or composition of household pipes does not increase or decrease perchlorate concentrations in water reaching your taps.

Stepwise Approach to Identifying Perchlorate Presence and Its Impact

Before considering upgrades or replacements to your water treatment system, start with cost-effective measures:

• Review recent water quality reports from your local water supplier (Wilsonville City of system for Clackamas County) to understand reported perchlorate sampling results and confirm the system’s water source.
• Check your current equipment’s performance and maintenance records to see if it continues to operate within its design specifications.
• If concerns persist, arrange for a certified laboratory to conduct specialized testing of your household water to determine your specific perchlorate level.

Preparing Essential Information Before Seeking Treatment Options

When looking for effective solutions, gather key details so you can evaluate recommendations accurately:

• Your water system’s public name (e.g., Wilsonville, City of, OR4100954)
• Recent water quality data from your area
• Your household’s average daily water demand
• The measured effectiveness and capacity of your existing equipment
• Any maintenance history and current performance limits of your treatment system

Understanding Laboratory Test Reports for Perchlorate

A certified laboratory test will provide perchlorate concentrations in micrograms per liter (µg/L). Results reported below the federal reporting level of 4.0 µg/L indicate that perchlorate is not detected at a quantifiable concentration. Since the Wilsonville City of system showed no detections above this level in multiple samples, a household test result above this threshold, if any, would be specific to that location rather than general regional conditions.

Data Sample Size and Its Implications for Your Water Quality Assessment

The regional perchlorate data for your water supplier is based on 18 samples collected over roughly 16 months, which provides a moderate data set for general system-wide conditions. However, localized variations can occur, and a small number of samples means the range of perchlorate levels could vary in individual wells or taps. Thus, while the system data offers a broad view, it cannot replace a household-specific test to confirm your water’s perchlorate concentration.

Final Step: Ordering a Household Perchlorate Lab Test to Confirm Your Water Quality

The single recommended action to settle questions about perchlorate in your home water is to obtain a certified laboratory test reporting perchlorate concentration. If the result shows levels below or near the reporting threshold of 4.0 µg/L, then perchlorate is not a measurable concern for your household water at that time. If levels are higher, a Pentair Perchlorate Filter system, which ships ready to configure, can supplement your treatment setup to handle perchlorate effectively and keep pace with your household demand.

Where this information comes from

Source: EPA SDWIS public water system record. Sampled 2003-11-04. These figures describe the public water system's record, not the plumbing inside any individual building.

On record: EPA UCMR1 monitoring (2001-2005) for WILSONVILLE, CITY OF (OR4100954), OR: 18 results across 1 listed contaminants, 0 detections above the reporting level; nothing detected above the method reporting level