Lockport, IL - Ward Labs Report

Well I got the results back from ward labs:

pH 7.3
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 720
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 1.20
Cations / Anions, me/L 14.0 / 14.5

ppm
Sodium, Na 37
Potassium, K 4
Calcium, Ca 133
Magnesium, Mg 67
Total Hardness, CaCO3 612
Nitrate, NO3-N 0.6 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 80
Chloride, Cl 63
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 468
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 383
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

Is it even worth using? I talked to the guy at my LHBS who lives in the neighboring town. He told me not to waste my time and just buy bottled water.

Yikes. Do you have to pay for that?
I'd have to agree with your LHBS, that water is a train wreck...

You could do stouts and pale ales with it if you decarbonate it (boiling or lime treatment) but given the ready availability of RO water these days you do not need to accept these limitations.

Thanks for looking at this. Sucks that I have to go and buy water every time I brew.

Bicarbonates of 468?! Holy cow! And I thought that Joliet water was bad at 335.

I live in Lockport as well! I have been using RO water but now brewing All Grain. Are you adding salts to the water? I haven't been thus far, but just got some Gypsom for my next brew tomorrow night. I knew the water was bad so I never bothered to use it. Curious what kind of treatment you are doing of you are AG brewing. You wouldn't happen to live in Victoria Crossings would you? I've seen an AG brewer in the neighborhood, thought I'd ask.

Figured I would bring this thread back to life instead of creating a new one. This is from a Ward Labs report dated 5/30/14 for Lockport IL. I am near the Broken Arrow golf course on the Southeast edge of town. All I can say is our water sucks I end up using mostly RO water.



pH 7.4
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 630
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 1.05
Cations / Anions, me/L / 12.4 12.5

ppm
Sodium, Na 40
Potassium, K 4
Calcium, Ca 121
Magnesium, Mg 55
Total Hardness, CaCO3 532
Nitrate, NO3-N < 0.1 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 53
Chloride, Cl 76
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 423
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 348
Total Phosphorus, P 0.22
Total Iron, Fe 0.04
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

I'm not far from you, I'm just south of Dellwood Park near Bruce, I don't even bother using the water. I was buying spring water but recently started building up from distilled. But yeah the water here sucks!