Quick Drips

In a system meeting federal standards, tap water is generally considered safe to drink. The qualifiers are local, and lead and nitrate are the two worth a deliberate look during pregnancy.

Milky tap water is almost always dissolved air coming out of solution at the tap, and it clears on its own. Here is the two minute glass test, why it is a cold weather problem, and what changes after a water main break.

About one in five US water service lines is still logged as unknown material, and thousands of utilities have missed the federal deadline to say which. Here is how to check the pipe at your own house, and what to do while you wait.

Hot tap water dissolves metals like lead faster and carries hours of water heater tank history. Here is why EPA says to drink and cook from the cold tap only, and where a filter honestly fits.

Dorms and first apartments come with older plumbing and a summer of stagnant water in the pipes. A calm move-in guide: check the report, flush the tap, filter what you drink.

Lead in school drinking water usually comes from old plumbing, not the source, and it builds up over long summer breaks. Here is how it happens, what the testing numbers mean, and the simple thing parents control from home.