Moscow - water quality and mold?

[the hudge]

Put that way, Moscow's great.
We moved here from Seminole Heights, Tampa Fl, due to the big town vibe in a small town. Everything the other posters are saying is true. You have a great opportunity for a vibrant outdoor life here. The restaurants and coffee houses and parks, all showcase what we like about this town. But, keep in mined that Moscow is the only public water system in Latah County that adds Fluoride, or as I call it, insult to injury.
Thus why we distill our own drinking water.
I inquired further about the one bad mold case I heard about here. I turns out that it was caused buy a long term leaking water pipe. So no, I have not heard of any (natural) mold cases around here.

[BH150]

Hi There,

I'm new and from Salem, OR. There was an algae issue in Salem, OR in 2017 onward and it was determined to be from old steel pipes (leakages) and not Green Peter lake which was the water source for Salem and suspected cause. That is how I am familiar with water issues and why I started using reverse osmosis for my water, carbon filters on my water heater, a carbon filter and vitamin c filter for my shower, and a clearly-pure filter for drinking, cooking, etc. after reverse osmosis. I basically arrived in Moscow ready and I'm glad I did. The issue in Salem is how metal steel pipes, old ones, collect mold and algae--especially over a lot of time. On the other hand, plastic or PVC (made from the same stuff that leaked into Palestine, OH after that train crash) do not collect mold or algae (the plastic chemical kills it). Neither do copper pipes, but are not used in many places due to being costly. My place has steel sinks, pipes, and PVC pipes. The place is new and the humidity is an average 25%. There have been no previous leaks and therefore not a candidate for mold issues. The steel pipes do have the algae and I had it tested at moldlabs.com who affirmed algae and hard water used by the city to treat the water. It's a common issue with older cities and the pipes in the main city water supplies would have to be replaced and that applies to Moscow in my opinion. It's a hefty $$$ task and Moscow isn't a high revenue city other than U of I.

As for newcomers to Moscow or current residents, I would recommend looking for PVC piping or copper piping and avoid steel or lead pipes while considering mold/algae. There is no reason to be overly concerned about eating-out occasionally regarding tap water, but do be cautious at home. Be cautious with renting or buying older buildings, homes, apartments and buying/renting from people who are not aware of such issues for whatever reasons. Using apple cider vinegar helps to remove hard water stains from the chemicals the city uses to treat water and kill/repel the algae from sinks and toilets; turtle wax to keep it from building-up or staining helps, and professional grade water filtration make life great in an otherwise nice small town. I am genuinely considering opening a store that sells affordable water filtration and share this knowledge since life gets better for people in Moscow after being informed, having others affirm their concerns, and even resolve the common issues regarding algae/molds.

Thanks and Blessings,
BH150

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I don't know about the water, but mold is nearly always a housekeeping issue. Unless you have a leaking roof that you don't bother to fix, everything that causes mold in a house is easily remedied by keeping your house clean, wiping up water, and running the exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms.