KCCI Investigates: Iowa homebuilder installing extra water filters in new homes
By Suzanne Behnke
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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A filtering system is being added to new residential construction by Hubbell Homes, one of the first Iowa builders to make it standard.
Reverse osmosis is an extra treatment to already finished water coming from taps in homes.
“We felt like having better water built in from the beginning was super important,” says Sarah Eggers, vice president of marketing of Hubbell Homes, a subsidiary of Hubbell Realty.
New homes built Sept. 1 or after will contain a system through Bright Water Kinetico in Des Moines.
Water quality has become a top interest for potential Iowa voters in November’s election, according to a recent poll. Sixty percent say it is one of their top five concerns for the state.
In Central Iowa, there have been two water restrictions for 600,000 Central Iowa Water Works customers due to high nitrate levels in the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers and high demand for lawn watering. CIWW has run its nitrate removal facility a record 193 days so far this year.
“We wanted to respond in a meaningful way,” says Eggers. “Reverse osmosis was a no-brainer.”
RO systems use pressure to push water through another round of filtering. Drinking water in homes arrives already treated after being sourced from rivers and groundwater. Water utilities are required to meet EPA standards for contaminants such as nitrates.
“Hubbell approached us about looking at drinking water solutions for their homes,” says Brook Haas, president of Bright Water. “I love their forward thinking and drawing a line in the sand.”
This isn’t the first time Hubbell has considered the well-being of homebuyers.
“Radon is something that we’ve been doing standard in our homes for 10 years,” says Eggers.
Radon is an odorless, colorless gas that comes from Iowa’s geological features. Iowa has some of the highest rates of radon in the U.S. The gas can seep into homes and has been linked to lung cancer.
As of July 1, radon mitigation systems must be part of new home builds, according to state law.
Now Hubbell Homes, alongside the radon mitigation pipe, will have RO systems going into all its new townhomes, condos and family dwellings. The cost is typically $3,000. That is not being passed to home buyers.
“When you think of water, it’s essential to life,” says Eggers. “The fact that you even move into your new home and have to worry about is my water as good as it could be? We just don’t want our homeowners to have to worry about that.”
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