In a recent survey, local water received high marks for its taste, convenience and health impact, while it was criticized for its hardness, cost and staining.
YS News Water Survey Results
- Published: May 17, 2012
In a recent Yellow Springs News online survey with 205 municipal water customers responding, local water received high marks for its taste, convenience and health impact, while it was criticized for its hardness, cost and staining.
The survey revealed:
- 70 percent of respondents said it was important that water remain local, while one-quarter said that they’d rather buy water from elsewhere if it were less expensive.
- Four out of five survey respondents said the hardness of local water, with its high levels of dissolved calcium and magnesium, was poor.
- More than half of respondents have replaced appliances or repaired plumbing damaged by hard water in recent years.
- 60 percent of respondents said staining caused by discolored water was poor and four out of five have had to clean stained porcelain fixtures caused by high levels of manganese.
- Two-thirds of those surveyed use water softeners to reduce the build-up of minerals.
- Eighty-six percent of survey respondents use some water quality device in their home. Two-thirds use a water softener. Seventy percent use pitcher filters like Brita or Pur or have filters installed on their faucets to treat their drinking water. And 40 percent of respondents use a whole house filter to clean all the water in their home.
- Local water tastes good to 40 percent of those surveyed, while 32 percent rated it as satisfactory and one-quarter said it was poor. One out of five of respondents regularly buy drinks like juice or soda instead of drinking tap water because of its taste.
- More than half of those surveyed said it was extremely important (29 percent) or very important (24 percent) that the Village maintain its own water treatment plant and distribution system and many would pay a premium for local control. More than half would pay as much as $10 more per month for the water to stay local while one-quarter would be willing to pay $5 more.
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For a summary of survey responses: YS News Water Survey Summary (pdf)
To view survey respondent comments: YS News Water Survey_Open Comments (pdf)
To download the anonymous raw data: YS News Water Survey_All Responses (excel)
Read the full story in the May 17 issue of the News.
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