skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

More than 160 people still missing after deadly Texas floods, governor says; Ohio small businesses seek clarity as Congress weighs federal ownership reporting rule; Hoosiers' medical bills under state review; Survey: Gen Z teens don't know their options after high school; Rural Iowa farmers diversify crops for future success.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

USDA, DHS Secretaries collaborate on a National Farm Security Action Plan. Health advocates worry about the budget megabill's impacts, and Prime Minister Netanyahu nominates President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Farmers may abandon successful conservation programs if federal financial chaos continues, a rural electric cooperative in Southwest Colorado is going independent to shrink customer costs, and LGBTQ+ teens say an online shoulder helps more than community support.

Water Quality Differs Drastically in the Same Home

play audio
Play

Thursday, February 27, 2020   

INDIANAPOLIS -- Next time you turn on the faucet for a drink of water, researchers suggest letting the water run for a bit before filling the glass.

A year-long investigation found the water quality in homes can differ in each room and change between seasons.

Researcher Andrew Whelton, an associate professor of civil engineering and environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University, explains that the study was conducted at a three-bedroom house in West Lafayette, with a condensed plumbing system much like those in other single family homes across the country.

"The chemical levels, such as levels of lead, changed pretty significantly," he relates. "The water as it entered from the utility also changed within the plumbing. The pH increased from about 7.8 to about 9.2, which is a drastic increase."

Whelton says the findings question the notion that the water in a public water system is the same as the water that passes through a building's plumbing at any time of the year.

The research was supported by the Environmental Protection Agency and conducted by Purdue, as well as the University of Memphis and Michigan State University.

Whelton says it was quite an undertaking, with more than 222,000 hours logged and 2.4 billion records collected.

"We sampled that building 58 times by physically going in and collecting water from multiple locations, hot and cold water systems, and then taking that back across the street to the university and analyzing its characteristics," he states.

The study noted that different plumbing materials, a varying number of occupants and other factors could affect the water quality of a home.

And Whelton says much more research is to come.

"If we are trying to predict what the risk is for exposure, we need to understand how variable buildings are so that people can design sampling approaches to go in and test building water," he points out.

Whelton recommends flushing a faucet before taking a drink to help to clear out older water that is more likely to have contaminants.

And when building a home, plumbing designs should be selected that minimize the amount of water and time that the water sits.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The Trump administration considers programs focusing on any facet of diversity, equity or inclusion to be a violation of federal anti-discrimination law. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The Trump administration has made it clear it will cut funding from schools continuing diversity, equity and inclusion programs and with record …


Social Issues

play sound

Among the hundreds of pages making up the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" just signed into law is a requirement some people must work to receive Medicaid…

Health and Wellness

play sound

After a legislative session which opened doors to expand mental health care services across Montana, a state commission said it is considering the …


The recommended ratio of students to counselors is 250 to 1, Washington is over that at 363 to 1. (Christoph Burgstedt/Adobe Stock)

play sound

Most Gen Z high school students and their parents are unaware of the range of options available to kids after graduation, according to a new survey…

Environment

play sound

By Carolyn Beans for Lancaster Farming.Broadcast version by Mark Richardson for Keystone State News Connection reporting for the Lancaster Farming-MIT…

More than 85% of the land in Iowa is dedicated to farming. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Iowa is the nation's number one corn and soybean producer and federal polices are designed to keep it that way but more farmers are moving away from t…

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Marilyn Odendahl for The Indiana Citizen.Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the Indiana Citizen-Free Press India…

Social Issues

play sound

The Wyoming Historic Preservation Office is a state office born from the National Historic Preservation Act, a federal law. After a three-month …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021