It’s common to encounter a wide range of potential water problems regardless of the source. Public water systems add chemicals that effect the taste and odor of the drinking water, while private wells can have a number of water quality issues that need immediate attention. Fortunately, BWS has the means to help. We have the largest staff of certified Water Quality Association members in the industry, with Water Specialists certification to Master certification status.

BWS also possess a large range of filtration equipment, and we are constantly looking for new and dynamic approaches in making our systems the most efficient in the field. Our systems can address the worst water problems while saving you run time and costs. Below are some common water contaminants that we can help you address, because at BWS we’re always making water better!

Acidic Water

When corrections to pH need to be made, an acid neutralizer filter is typically used to adjust the lower levels.  Calcite, also known as a calcium carbonate,  is the most common media that is used for these applications.   Corosex, magnesium oxide, is often added for extremely low and aggressive pH levels.  CLICK HERE to check the BWS line of neutralizers.

Arsenic

Removal of arsenic from well water can be a complicated process.  There are several treatment approaches and technologies available to remove arsenic from well water.  They include METAL OXIDE FILTERS,  REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEMS. But note that the chemical parameters of your water and the chemistry of the arsenic that is present will dictate which approach will work most effectively at removing the arsenic.  The BWS preferred treatment approach would be using our HM-XR Filters

Bacteria

BWS QUANTUM DISINFECTION  is a new innovative technology that kills up to 99.9999% of microorganisms and bacteria in the water with no use of electricity, and adding nothing to your water.

Chemicals

The best proven way in removing chemicals is utilizing filtration that incorporates some form of ACTIVATED CARBON FILTERS.  This is the recommended treatment for most of the water contaminants listed by the USEPA that can be found by CLICKING HERE.   GAC (granular activate carbon) filters are often used to remove VOCs, pesticides, nitrates, hydrogen sulfide, and more.   GAC filters adsorb chemical molecules on it’s specially treated & highly porous surface which provides a lot of room for chemicals to stick to the carbon surface making this the most common media for chemical reduction.  These filters can become a source of contamination, especially if not properly serviced or periodically replaced.  It may be a good idea to follow a carbon filter with some sort of disinfection unit such as a BWS UV SYSTEM.

Chloramines

An effective filtration system can remove chloramines from your water.  Using a BWS CARBON FILTER SYSTEM with granular activated carbon (GAC) is the most effective way to remove chloramines from you drinking water.

Chlorides

BWS also brings a dynamic and creative approach to removing chlorides from your drinking supply.  The VOLTEA DIENTRY is a tunable water purification system that is designed to remove total dissolved solids (TDS) from a variety of water sources, ranging from tap water and brackish groundwater to industrial process water.  CapDI achieves this at a lower economic cost and reduced environmental impact than any other available technology

Chlorine

Granular Activated Carbon Filters will remove chlorines taste and smell.  They can be installed as either a point-of-use or a point-of-entry distribution system.  BWS has a wide variety of CARBON FILTER SYSTEMS.

Fluorides

Reverse Osmosis is the best known approach to removing Chromium 6 from your drinking water.  The decision is to remove at the POINT-OF-ENTRY or low volume applications with  POINT-OF-USE systems for drinking and cooking water.

Hardness

A study from the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assessed water-quality conditions for about 2,100 domestic wells across the United States. Water hardness was one water-quality parameter studied; results are shown in the map to the left.

Hardness is a property of water that is not a health concern, but it can be a nuisance. Hard water can cause mineral buildup in plumbing, fixtures, and water heaters, and poor performance of soaps and detergents. Hard water was prevalent in the east-central and western United States, reflecting the distribution of carbonate aquifers and aquifers with relatively high concentrations of dissolved solids. >, greater than; <, less than or equal to.

Hydrogen Sulfide

Hydrogen Sulfide along with iron and manganese can be challenging contaminants to treat.  Oxidation using Chlorine, Potassium Permanganate or Hydrogen Peroxide combined with catalytic filtration media are commonly applied to these water contaminants.   These are effective but require maintenance and frequent servicing.  BWS has put together a unique and innovative series to reduce hydrogen sulfide as well as iron and manganese without the use of chemicals. Our  OZ³ aerZone™ SYSTEM is an ECO friendly approach to provide your family with high quality drinking water with a fresh taste that’s safe to consume.

Iron

The Lantis OZ3 aerZone™  is an innovative and dynamic approach at removing iron, manganese, and sulfur from your drinking water.  But there are a plethora of approaches to treating water with high iron content.  Some parts of the country use softeners to remove low concentrations of iron while softening their hard water.  Different areas oxidize then  filter the iron out with air or ozone, while others chlorinate with aggressive chemicals.  In all, removing iron depends upon numerous factors.  Clear iron vs red iron, low pH vs high pH, levels of alkalinity & manganese all can play a factor in the approach to treating iron, making it important to reach out to your local water treatment specialist to guide you with your particular water issue(s).

Lead

Fist step in removing lead is to remove old piping.  This would be the best way to prevent lead from being introduced into drinking water.  This may not be cost effective though so other alternatives are a necessity.

REVERSE  OSMOSIS  BWS uses industry best RO’s to help you design an effective lead removal system for your water issues.

HM-XR SERIES  BWS has created a unique and innovate line of heavy metal reducing filters.  Our dynamic approach is the most cost effective way to remove lead from a water distribution source.

Manganese

The Lantis OZ3 aerZone™  is an innovative and dynamic approach at removing iron, manganese, and sulfur from your drinking water.  But there are a plethora of approaches to treating water with high manganese content.  Some parts of the country use softeners to remove low concentrations of iron and manganese while softening their hard water.  Different areas oxidize with air or ozone then  filter the manganese out with greensand or other oxidizing medias.  Others still chlorinate with aggressive chemicals for hard to remove situations.   In all, removing manganese depends upon numerous factors so it’s important to reach out to your local water treatment specialist to guide you with your particular water issue(s).

Nitrates

Nitrates can be removed from drinking supplies by Reverse Osmosis, Ion Exchange, or Distillation.

REVERSE OSMOSIS are cost effective for point-of-use applications.

ION EXCHANGE for nitrates work by adsorbing the nitrate ion onto the resin bead.  These anion resin beads are also attracted to sulfates which causes treatment approach issues when sulfate concentrates are high as well as the nitrates.  A water softener will be put ahead of the nitrate unit to help it focus on the removal of the nitrates.

DIENTRY and DIUSE  To remove solids from water via distillation is quite involved process, can only produce small amounts of water per day, and have higher operating cost than the previous mentioned approaches.   BWS introduces Voltea to the residential market for point-of-entry and point-of-use applications to reduce nitrate levels in the drinking supply.

PFAS/PFOS

Nitrates can be removed from drinking supplies by Reverse Osmosis, Ion Exchange, or Distillation.

REVERSE OSMOSIS are cost effective for point-of-use applications.

ION EXCHANGE for nitrates work by adsorbing the nitrate ion onto the resin bead.  These anion resin beads are also attracted to sulfates which causes treatment approach issues when sulfate concentrates are high as well as the nitrates.  A water softener will be put ahead of the nitrate unit to help it focus on the removal of the nitrates.

DIENTRY and DIUSE  To remove solids from water via distillation is quite involved process, can only produce small amounts of water per day, and have higher operating cost than the previous mentioned approaches.   BWS introduces Voltea to the residential market for point-of-entry and point-of-use applications to reduce nitrate levels in the drinking supply.

Radon

Radon mitigation is best accomplished through AERATION of your water supply.  This means exposing the water to air to release the gas and vent it safely out and away from the home or business.  The aerated water should then be filtered through a carbon filtration system.   BWS always recommends to have an ULTRAVIOLET system to follow an aeration unit to kill any airborne bacteria that may develop.

Sediment

Water filters are the most common and still the most preferred approach for this type of contaminant.  SEDIMENT FILTERS are measured in microns (µm) ranging from 50 µm – less than 0.2 µm and come in a variety of choices.  Replacement filters can come string wound, pleated, or even spun polypropylene.    The smaller the micron the tighter wound the filter and the more constrictive the unit will be .  Choose an inline filter system that works best in your home or businesses water system.

Tannins

Tannins are traditionally removed using ANION EXCHANGE RESIN.  This resin type is sensitive to hardness and generally requires pretreatment with a softener. A softener would extend the life of the resin helping to increase tannin absorption.   Anion resins also tend to lower the pH of your water calling for a neutralizer to be installed at the end of the water treatment system.   A large issue with having other treatment in front of tannin removal is the effects the tannins may have on that equipment.   Tannins going through filters not intended to remove tannins can become coated and not filter and/or exchange the way the media was intended to do.

Oxidation and filtration is another common method to remove tannins, but is more complex than anion exchange softening.

BWS offers some greener solutions for tannin removal with our ULTRAFILTRATION SERIES

REVERSE OSMOSIS is another effective method for removing tannins. Since tannins are high molecular weight organics RO should reject them effectively. However, tannins will tend to foul the membrane in the system. It also is very expensive to properly install a whole house RO system to treat all of the water

Tannins are traditionally removed using ANION EXCHANGE RESIN.  This resin type is sensitive to hardness and generally requires pretreatment with a softener. A softener would extend the life of the resin helping to increase tannin absorption.   Anion resins also tend to lower the pH of your water calling for a neutralizer to be installed at the end of the water treatment system.   A large issue with having other treatment in front of tannin removal is the effects the tannins may have on that equipment.   Tannins going through filters not intended to remove tannins can become coated and not filter and/or exchange the way the media was intended to do.

Oxidation and filtration is another common method to remove tannins, but is more complex than anion exchange softening.

BWS offers some greener solutions for tannin removal with our ULTRAFILTRATION SERIES

REVERSE OSMOSIS is another effective method for removing tannins. Since tannins are high molecular weight organics RO should reject them effectively. However, tannins will tend to foul the membrane in the system. It also is very expensive to properly install a whole house RO system to treat all of the water

Uranium

Ion Exchange and Reverse Osmosis are the most common ways to remove uranium for water distribution systems.  Since uranium only gets introduced into the body through ingestion, it may not be necessary to install a reverse osmosis system for the entire home.  A point-of-use unit could possibly provide the proper protection for all the drinking and cooking water for the entire household.  However there are other technologies able to remove uranium from your water as well. The HM-XR SERIES  is the BWS preferred method for removing all heavy metals, but decisions about treating water depend on many factors.  From the amount of people using the water to the maintenance and costs of the system.   You should always consult a water treatment specialist when uncertain about the best approach for your situation.