Enjoy a Safe Summer with These Water Tips
Planning a summer barbeque? We've got a few tips to keep anything water-related from spoiling the party.
Worry about one less thing with a portal account.
Don't let worrying about making bill payments on time interfere with your summer fun. With the Cleveland Water web portal, you can set up recurring payments so your bill is automatically paid every month. You can also sign up to receive email or text alerts when your bill is due.
The portal also enables you to track your water usage daily, and even hourly. Most customers use more water in the summer. By knowing when your usage is occurring, you can take control of your costs. Learn how.
Stay healthy by properly hydrating.
Proper hydration is absolutely essential for our overall health and is especially important during the hot and humid days of summer. Dehydration can be dangerous and cause muscle cramps, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and fainting.
Have your own reusable water bottle on hand for any summertime gatherings. This not only minimizes waste but will encourage you to get the recommended 8 glasses of water a day.
If you'll be enjoying some adult beverages or participating in any physical activity, you'll need to hydrate even more. Get tips on staying hydrated.
Make sure your outdoor water fixtures are safe.
Taking a drink of water from a garden hose on a hot summer day may be a fond childhood memory. But in reality, most outdoor faucets and garden hoses aren't meant to be used for drinking water.
While using your hose to water plants, fill water balloons, or run your sprinkler are all great ideas, most don’t meet the safety standards required for drinking water. They can contain lead or be made from materials that leach chemicals into the water.
However, there are faucets and garden hoses that are safe to drink from if maintained properly. If your garden hose or outdoor faucet is NSF/ANSI 61 or NSF/ANSI 372 certified, it means the products meet certain safety standards to be used for drinking water. Learn more about what these certifications mean.
You may also want to consider installing a backflow preventer on your outdoor spigots. Learn why this small and inexpensive device can have a big impact on your water quality.
A simple tip to keep ice edible.
Coolers full of drinks and ice are a summertime staple. But there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to the safety of ice.
Bagged ice is considered a food product and is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Ice manufacturers must produce, hold, and transport ice in clean and sanitary conditions and use clean, safe water – like Cleveland tap water – to make their product.
However, once you dump that bag into a cooler full of food or drinks, or someone at your party goes elbow deep in search of a cold drink, the ice is no longer safe to consume.
It’s best to have a separate cooler designated for ice that goes in drinks. Clean and sanitize the cooler before adding ice and use a clean scoop or pair of tongs to grab ice to go in drinks.
When it comes to the ice in your refrigerator, the high-quality, great-tasting tap water delivered to your house is great for making ice. If you have an automatic ice cube maker, make sure you properly clean and maintain it for the best quality ice.