How to Understand Your Community’s Water Quality Report?
- Aquavie Technologie
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
A simple, friendly, and clear guide to understanding what you drink every day.
Many of you wonder whether your tap water is really good to drink. And that’s normal: with all the tables, numbers, and technical terms, it can be hard to make sense of it. So let’s take a moment together to decode everything easily, without stress…
Where to Find the Results?
You can find the water quality report:
On your town hall’s website
On your water supplier’s website (Suez, Veolia, Saur…)
On the public platform “Drinking Water Quality”
On the portal https://dansmoneau.fr/
This report lists the main parameters measured in the water you drink.
Essential Values to Understand
1. Hardness (TH) – Limestone
This is the amount of limestone in the water.
Soft water: 0–15 °f
Moderately hard water: 15–30 °f
Hard water: 30+ °f
Limestone isn’t dangerous, but it can quickly become inconvenient in daily life. Very hard water leaves deposits on appliances, dries out the skin, and can make showers less comfortable. Understanding your water’s hardness simply helps you anticipate your home’s comfort.
2. Nitrates
Agricultural residues sometimes found in groundwater.
Regulatory limit: 50 mg/L
Below 25 mg/L → generally very good.Between 25 and 50 mg/L → caution is advised, especially for infants.
It’s a good indicator for understanding the impact of human activities around your community.
3. Pesticides
Before checking which ones are present, it’s important to understand the regulatory thresholds.
Regulatory limits:
0.1 µg/L maximum per individual pesticide
0.5 µg/L maximum for all detected pesticides combined
Even below these thresholds, repeated presence may encourage adding filtration if you want healthier drinking water.
Common Pesticides
Atrazine (+ dérivés déséthyl / désisopropyl), Glyphosate & AMPA, Métolachlore (ESA, OXA), S-métolachlore, Bentazone, Chlortoluron, Isoproturon, Prosulfocarbe, Oxadixyl, Chlopyralide, Diuron, Terbuthylazine
Pesticide Sources
French Public Health Code – Drinking Water Quality
Ministry of Health – Water Quality
4. PFAS – “Forever Chemicals”
PFAS are substances used to make certain materials waterproof, grease-resistant, or heat-resistant.
They break down very slowly, travel long distances, and can accumulate in the environment as well as in drinking water.
Regulatory limit for drinking water: 0.10 µg/L
They are called “forever chemicals” because they remain in the environment for a very long time. Even at low levels, many people choose filtration for added peace of mind.
PFAS Sources
• NIEHS – National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• ANSES – National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety
• EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
• Ministry of Health / Regional Prefectures — Monitoring PFAS in Drinking Water
5. Conductivity
This simply refers to the total amount of minerals in the water.
200 to 500 µS/cm → normal
600–800 µS/cm → highly mineralized water, sometimes with a distinct taste.
High conductivity doesn’t mean the water is bad; it mainly explains its taste or the deposits it may leave behind.
Should You Filter Your Water?
Here are a few situations where filtration can be useful:
The water is very hard (TH > 25–30 °f)
There are traces of pesticides or PFAS
Nitrate levels exceed 25 mg/L
The water has a chlorine taste or smell
Your home is old (possible metals in the plumbing)
You use a well or borehole → filtration is almost essential
Filtering your water isn’t necessarily about danger; it’s often about comfort, taste, and peace of mind.
In Summary
Your water analysis is simply a way to better understand what you drink every day. With a few simple indicators, you can quickly determine whether your water is:
🟢totally safe
🟡to improve for greater comfort
🔴 or requires treatment (rare cases).
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