Joseph Harrison, P.E., CWS-VI, is technical director of the Water Quality Association, Lisle, Ill. He may be reached at 630-505-0160. Prior to joining the WQA in 1990, Harrison was chief, safe drinking water branch for Region V of the EPA for 17 years.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 85 percent of the United States has to cope with hard water. While hard water is not considered to be unhealthy for people to drink, it can be very unhealthy for household plumbing, cleaning processes and water-using appliances.