Interesting Water Report

[abrix]

So I've had water samples analyzed for a half-dozen locations over the past few years, and this is the first one that doesn't completely make sense to me. It looks like otherwise soft water with (effectively) baking soda added? What sort of geology would produce groundwater like this? Or is there another explanation for the high levels of sodium and bicarbonate?

pH: 7.8
Calcium: 3 ppm
Magnesium: 0 ppm
Sodium: 128 ppm
Potassium: 0 ppm
Iron: 0 ppm
Bicarbonate: 319 ppm
Carbonate: 0.9 ppm
Sulfate: 12 ppm
Chloride: 22 ppm
Alkalinity (as CaCO3): 263 ppm

 

[andrewmaixner]

http://water.usgs.gov/owq/hardness-alkalinity.html
See the map there.
I took a year of geology in college, prehistoric lakes/seas will result in limestone, that leads to carbonate in the water supply.

 

[brewerdoc]

http://water.usgs.gov/owq/hardness-alkalinity.html
See the map there.
I took a year of geology in college, prehistoric lakes/seas will result in limestone, that leads to carbonate in the water supply.

Yup, come to Texas and see all the limestone that is here from parts being near the coast being once underwater. It leads to a water profile not unlike yours.

 

[mabrungard]

It looks like it could be ion-exchange softened water. Virtually all the calcium and magnesium has been stripped and a lot of sodium is in its place. Even though you may not have a softener in your home, some water companies perform large-scale softening like this. However, its unlikely that a water company would soften the water this far since its beneficial to have a little hardness to protect their pipes.

Depending on the geology of the region, it is possible that the water comes out of the ground with that profile. But that is less likely.

 

[abrix]

It looks like it could be ion-exchange softened water. Virtually all the calcium and magnesium has been stripped and a lot of sodium is in its place.

Thanks Martin -- that is what I was beginning to suspect. It seemed odd to have that much bicarbonate without any calcium (or magnesium). That's what I get for neglecting to ask if this location had a water softener installed. Looks like I'll be going back for another sample directly from the well.