Windham is full of lush woodlands, sparkling lakes, and picturesque rolling hills, offering the traditional New Hampshire rural feel with serene beauty. Living in a town with a classic New England feel is truly a wonderful life for those who enjoy being outdoors. This town offers a great place to raise a family, with quiet neighborhoods and a great school system with high rankings. Overall, you can expect to enjoy a very peaceful feel in this community.

Windham residents still need better water quality.

The town of Windham has been very open with its concern over PFAS, its ongoing water quality, and the potential pollutants. With a diverse supply of headwaters, from well source water to city water, there is the possibility that the supply has picked up unfavorable substances, like arsenic or PFAS. Due to firefighting practice sessions conducted in the area using PFAS-tainted fire retardant, the town engaged the firm Nobis Engineering to conduct tests in 2017 through 2018. As of March  2019, they closed their investigations and recommended that the fire retardant not be used any longer. The level ranged from 121 to 158.6 Total PFOA/S at its height.

City water vs. well water in Windham

While the city water does meet state and federal water standards, water supplies throughout the state in surrounding towns have varying levels of PFAS and additional contaminants. If you have well water in Windham, you may also be concerned about chemical runoff, bacteria, arsenic, and other pollutants, on top of the PFAS issue.

Contaminants potentially in Windham, NH water

With a range of potential issues, homeowners and business people alike must sample their water and find the right solutions to provide safe water for them and their neighbors, customers, and family members. Currently, the most common and potential water concerns throughout the state include the following —

  • Bacterial contamination from things like E.coli can cause severe medical problems.
  • Arsenic, the naturally occurring toxic element in NH bedrock.
  • Radon, an odorless and colorless gas that is released from bedrock into homes and water supplies.
  • Pharmaceuticals that enter the water when people inadequately dispose of them.
  • Heavy metals present in the water due to natural deposits or human activity.
  • Pesticides, Nitrates, and Chloride (salt from the roads and septic systems), leading to health and fertility/growth issues.
  •  Fluoride, causing discolored teeth, bones, and other health issues.
  • Lead from natural sources or old pipes, causing developmental issues in children.
  • PFAS/PFOA due to the different NH manufacturing spills and using PFAS-laden products.

While Windham’s town water quality falls within permitted limits, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), permitted levels may not be most suitable for human health. Let’s take a look at what the EWG advises and what they report about Windham water.

The EWG report for Windham.

The EWG is an organization that provides resources for people to determine what is safe and healthy for the earth and personal use. Organized by zip code, the water database rates your water on various factors.

As of a study done in the Hadleigh Woods area, with data from 2019, a few specific contaminants affect Windham’s water. While these contaminants may fall under “legally safe” levels, the EWG notes that trace amounts can still harm human health, particularly among young children, aging adults, and immunocompromised individuals.

The EWG found six contaminants. Here are some of the concerning contaminants listed —

Arsenic

Long-term exposure can cause cancer, skin lesions, cardiovascular issues, and diabetes. It also impacts cognitive development in growing humans, including in-utero, infants, and young adults. This community had 125x the recommended amount.

Bromodichloromethane

Created when chlorine and other disinfectants treat the water, these are byproducts that act as a carcinogen and can particularly impact fetuses during pregnancy. This community had 56x the recommended amount.

Haloacetic Acids (HAA5 and HAA9)

These compounds are carcinogenic and can cause bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, and adverse developmental and reproductive issues.

Total Trihalomethanes

Bladder and colon cancers are linked to these THMs, and exposure to higher amounts of them may also cause reproductive problems and congenital disabilities.

At the time of this study, PFOS and PFOA did not appear on the list, but due to how PFAS chemicals spread, they could infiltrate water supplies from surrounding communities at any time. The only way to ensure your water is safe is by getting your water tested regularly, reviewing the city water test results, or installing a whole-home filtration system that provides consistently pure water.

NH Tap’s recommendations for clean water in Windham.

All New Hampshire residents must be aware of the issues surrounding local water standards and quality reports, whether they use well or city-supplied tap water in their homes.

Here are some things to remember about water purification —

  • City water depends on chemicals to clean the water, leaving chemical byproducts behind.
  • Under the sink or refrigerator filtration units do not eliminate most contaminants.
  • While many believe bottled water is a safer alternative than tap water, many studies have shown that bottled water is no cleaner than tap water when it comes to specific contaminants, in addition to the added plastic use.

Schedule a water test to find out if you have contaminants in your water.

Ensuring that you have safe drinking water starts with understanding the water quality issues in your town and, more immediately, in your home. NH Tap can provide a range of tests (some that are free) to check the exact levels of contamination, so you can find out what filtration solution would best serve your home. Schedule your water test today. 

Get Windham’s best public or well water filtration.

NH Tap developed whole-home filtration systems that eliminate 99.9% of common water contaminants, including PFAS. Our long-lasting, single-tank units are relatively compact and installed on-site to help your family avoid everything from heavy metals and chlorine to industrial chemicals and more — allowing you to have the purest water for your home or business.

The NH Tap team passionately serves our communities by helping people learn about their water needs while providing a 5-star experience to everyone who has us conduct a water test or install one of our systems.

Because we tailor our water filtration units for New Hampshire water, we provide the particular filtration media to remove contaminants specific to your Windham public water or private well water. We offer —

  • installation on all of our filtration systems
  • 5-year warranty (including parts and labor)
  • A lifetime of support

Whether you have well water or use city water, NH Tap can help you and your family gain peace of mind and enjoy delicious, pure water for years to come. Enjoy only the best water from every faucet and appliance in your home!

Schedule your water test today.