The recommended guideline maximum of 500 mg/L is based on taste. Generally water with less than 500 mg/L is regarded as good quality water but values of up to 1000 mg/L can be tolerated. Corrosion may also become a problem with high TDS levels. There are no health effects associated with high TDS but the components which make up the TDS may cause problems in their own right. It is difficult to lower the TDS. Suitable treatments include reverse osmosis, ion exchange and distillation. These may be expensive to operate. TDS is related to Electrical Conductivity (EC) of the water and high EC normally produces a high TDS.
