SOS Plumbing Explains Local Water Quality and Home Filtration Options

SOS Plumbing, a local plumbing company in Lonoke County, Arkansas, has been providing guidance to homeowners on water quality issues and the benefits of home filtration and tankless water heaters. The company has performed over 100 water tests inside customers' homes, helping them understand the specific water conditions they face.

According to SOS Plumbing, water conditions can vary significantly from home to home. Hardness minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, can deposit scale inside copper supply lines, gradually narrowing the pipe's interior. Orange and rust-colored stains on tubs, sinks, and drains are often linked to iron in the water. An in-home water test can help identify the cause before a homeowner selects filtration or softening equipment.

The company reviews the water quality reports from local utilities, including Ward Utilities, Cabot Water Works, and Austin Water Works. Ward Utilities' 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report states that the city pumps from three wells in the Alluvial Aquifer and also purchases water from the Lonoke-White Public Water Authority, which treats surface water from Greers Ferry Lake. Cabot Water Works' 2023 report, the most recent edition reviewed, lists six Alluvial Aquifer wells supplying a treatment plant in Cabot, supplemented by water purchased from Central Arkansas Water, which draws from Lake Winona and Lake Maumelle. Austin Water Works' 2025 report describes treated water purchased from Mid-Arkansas Utilities and the Lonoke-White Public Water Authority, with Central Arkansas Water and Jacksonville Water Works also part of the supply chain.

Blended supplies can produce noticeable differences in taste, odor, and mineral content. Groundwater from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer is described in U.S. Geological Survey research as generally hard to very hard and frequently high in iron. Hardness minerals are the source of scale that builds up on fixtures, inside pipes, and within water heaters, while iron can stain sinks, tubs, and laundry.

Disinfection byproducts are among the most useful figures for homeowners to review. When chlorine used to control microbes reacts with natural organic matter, it forms compounds including total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and haloacetic acids (HAA5). The federal limit for TTHMs is 80 parts per billion (ppb), measured as a running annual average. Cabot Water Works reported a highest locational running annual average of 64 ppb for TTHMs in 2023, with individual results ranging from 2.72 to 77.9 ppb. Ward Utilities reported a highest running annual average of 40 ppb in 2025, with results ranging from 13.1 to 63.8 ppb. Both figures are within the federal limit. For haloacetic acids, Cabot’s report lists a highest locational running annual average of 12 ppb against an enforceable limit of 60 ppb, and notes that the non-enforceable public health goal is zero.

Chlorine itself is the most common reason residents notice the taste and smell of tap water. Cabot Water Works reported an average chlorine residual of 1.09 parts per million in 2023, and Ward Utilities reported an average of 0.78 parts per million in 2025. Both are below the maximum residual disinfectant level of 4 parts per million. Chlorine is necessary to protect water as it travels through miles of distribution pipe, but many households prefer to reduce it at the tap where they drink and cook.

Nitrate, which can come from fertilizer runoff, septic systems, and natural deposits, was reported at an average of 0.515 parts per million in Cabot and 0.13 parts per million in Ward, against a federal limit of 10 parts per million. Copper, which typically comes from corrosion of household plumbing, was reported at a 90th-percentile level of 0.246 parts per million in Cabot and 0.070 parts per million in Ward, compared with an action level of 1.3 parts per million.

The reports further note that some people, including infants, some elderly residents, and people with weakened immune systems, may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water and should seek guidance from their health care providers.

Lead is a separate consideration. Both utilities reported 90th-percentile lead results below 0.001 parts per million at customer taps, well under the federal action level of 0.015 parts per million. Each report also explains that lead in drinking water comes primarily from service lines and home plumbing components, which the utility cannot control. Results inside an individual home with older plumbing materials can differ from utility sampling sites.

The utility reports describe a simple precaution: when water has been sitting in pipes for several hours, running the tap for 30 seconds to two minutes before using water for drinking or cooking can reduce potential lead exposure. Boiling water does not remove lead. Homeowners who want to reduce lead at the tap should look for a filter specifically certified for lead reduction, and those who are concerned about lead should have their water tested.

Homes on private wells are not covered by these utility reports. Private well owners are responsible for their own water testing and treatment decisions, which makes testing especially important for rural properties outside municipal service areas.

Home water treatment ranges from single-faucet filters to point-of-entry systems that treat all water entering a house. Independent certification is the most practical way to compare products. Filters certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 42 reduce aesthetic issues such as chlorine taste and odor. NSF/ANSI Standard 53 covers reduction of specific health-related contaminants, such as lead and certain volatile organic chemicals.