Why does my water taste salty?
A salty taste means dissolved salts — usually chloride, sodium, or sulfates — have gotten into your water.
The likely causes
From road-salt runoff, industrial discharge, or seawater seeping into coastal groundwater. The classic salty taste.
From natural deposits, road salt, or — surprisingly common — a water softener that is set too high or malfunctioning.
Magnesium or sodium sulfate gives a salty-bitter taste and can have a laxative effect at high levels.
Is it dangerous?
For most people the health risk is low, but people on a sodium-restricted diet should take a salty taste seriously and test. A sudden salty taste in a coastal or well-water home can signal saltwater intrusion, which is worth investigating.
How to tell what it is
A total dissolved solids (TDS) test gives you a quick reading; a full lab panel identifies chloride vs. sodium vs. sulfate. If you have a water softener, check whether it is over-salting first.
The fix
Reverse osmosis is the only common point-of-use method that reliably removes dissolved salts — ordinary carbon filters do not. It is the go-to fix for salty water.
A standard carbon pitcher or faucet filter will not remove salt — it passes right through. You need reverse osmosis or distillation.
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