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- What is the TCWD Service Area?
We service the communities of Trabuco Canyon; including Trabuco Canyon, Robinson Ranch, Trabuco Highlands, Rancho Cielo, Dove Canyon, portions of Portola Hills and Santiago Canyon Estates.
- How does TCWD know that our meter is accurate?
Trabuco Canyon Water District has a program to routinely test water meters on a rotating basis to ensure accuracy. If you notice that the recorded water usage varies suddenly for no obvious reason, report this to us so it can be investigated. Most often a malfunctioning water meter will read low, not high.
- Is it safe to drink water from a garden hose?
The standard vinyl garden hose has substances added to it in order to keep it flexible. Those chemicals leach into the water as it goes through the hose and are not good for you. In fact, they are not good for animals or pets either, so the best thing to do is flush the hose by running it a couple of minutes before filling drinking containers for your pets or animals (save the water, and use it on your plants).
There is one hose approved by the US Food and Drug Administration made with a food grade plastic, and this type will not contaminate the water. If you like to camp, you should use this type of hose when you hook up your RV to a drinking water tap at the campsite. You can purchase one of these at any RV accessory store.
- Are all chemicals in my drinking water bad for me?
No. Some chemicals, fluoride for example, are good for you, and some minerals are accepted by most to be beneficial in drinking water. In addition, many chemicals have no bad effect on your health.
Chemicals are not bad just because they are chemicals. As an example, water itself is a chemical, and we depend on the chemicals in food to keep us alive and functioning.
- I've noticed a blue-green stain where my water drips into my sink. What causes this?
The chemical copper is where this stain comes from. The copper is probably present in your home plumbing and is being dissolved into the drinking water. The conditions that cause copper in water may also introduce lead into drinking water. Excessive amounts of either lead or copper may cause health problems.
- Why when I first fill a glass with water from my faucet it looks cloudy, but clears up after a bit?
The cloudy water is caused by tiny air bubbles in the water similar to the gas bubbles in beer and carbonated soft drinks. After a while, all the bubbles rise to the top and are gone. This type of cloudiness occurs with more frequency in the winter, when drinking water is cold.
- How long can I store drinking water?
Drinking water that is thoroughly disinfected can be stored for an indefinite period in tightly capped glass or plastic containers that will not rust. Do not store water in metal containers. They may rust. Through trial and error, you can find plastic containers that will not make the water taste bad.
Because the disinfectant that we put in the water will slowly go away, you should try to replace the water every six months. Besides, the taste will go "flat" after being stored for an extended period of time. If possible, you should store water in a refrigerator to help control bacteria (not germ) growth.
Bottled water is a good source of drinking water during emergencies, but it doesn't store well. Because it generally doesn't contain a disinfectant, microbes grow in it over time (it has a shelf life in the store as well). Tap water, which does contain a disinfectant, should be stored in the proper containers for an emergency, but even it cannot be store indefinitely.
- Why does white stuff appear as ice cubes melt? Where does it come from?
Ice cubes freeze from the outside first, so the center of the cube is the last to freeze. Ice is pure water, so as the ice cube freezes the dissolved minerals are all pushed to the center of the cube. Near the end of the freezing cycle, there isn't enough water left in the center of the cube and the minerals become concentrated there. This is the white stuff you see. The technical name is precipitate. These hardness minerals are non-toxic.
Most store-bought ice cubes are cored to remove the precipitate.
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