I've been looking into our local water pH and found some interesting info. I found this on our local utilities website and would assume it to be true in most cities.

Water Laboratory (back to top)
Staff tests the water over 300,000 times a year. That is 821 tests a day!
PH
Why is pH important? If drinking water is too acidic, it will begin to dissolve the pipes that bring the water to your house. The pH scale goes from 0-14. If the pH of a solution is less than 7, the solution is an acid. If the pH is greater than 7, the solution is a base.
The pH of our water is maintained between 7.8 and 9.2. It is a base.

Now I have more questions than when I started this little adventure....

Since I fertilize with an acidic fertilizer I'm bringing down or maintaining a lower pH in the soil with each use, does this help to make up for the alkaline water?

It is clear that my pH can range from 7.8 to 9.2, with a pH of this range do I need to be concerned and work on lowering it? Also with a range this big do I need to test each time before watering?

Is there something that can be added (not car battery acid) to help bring the water pH down? I thought about fish tanks and how they may do this in that industry. Here is some info from one site I visited:

Lowering pH
Lowering pH is not as easy as raising it. Filtering over peat moss is the method of choice. It is continuous and relatively easy to do. Another method to lower pH is to mix distilled or RO (reverse-osmosis) water with your tap water to reduce both the hardness and pH.

Maybe I'm getting to worried over this, any thoughts or ideas? Millet I know your big on pH, what is your pH and if you need to lower it how do you?

Thanks John

John, we are not so worried about the pH of your irrigation water, as we are about the alkalinity. When medium - pH rises over time, the most common cause is a combination of high water alkalinity (>120 ppm)and a nitrate based (basic reaction) fertilizer. We can rule out the basic (nitrate) fertilizer as you state you are useing an acid based fertilizer. It is important to use an acid-reaction fertilizer with AT LEAST 25% of total nitrogen in the ammonium forum. Look on your fertilizer bag/box and see what percentage of the nitrogen is in the ammonium or urea form. Then, check with your water company and find out the ALKALINITY of their water. The term alkalinity refers to the acid neutralizing capacity of irrigation water. Alkalinity should not be confused with alkaline. Alkaline is a chemistry term used to describe a water with a pH greater tha 7.0. Alkalinity is not the concentration of a specific ion but rather includes the concentration of a number of ions that affect acid buffering capacity. Under most conditions, the ions that have the greatest effect on alkalinity are bicarbonates like calcium, magnesium or sodium bicarbonate and, to a lesser extent, carbonates like calcium or sodium. High pH in the growing medium usually results in a deficiency of micronutrients, particulary iron. So find out what the total alkalinity of your water is and then post back. Then we can see what steps need to be taken. - Millet

Soils and most potting media have nice buffering capacity which tends to limit the dramatic soil pH fluctuation when you are adding acidifying chemicals or fertilizers.

Interesting...I have a question...

I have been told that soilless media are better off with nitrate forms of nitrogen because soilless media are less capable of converting ammonical/urea forms of nitrogen into forms available to the plant...and that tests have shown that a much higher percentage of nitrate is better for soilless media.

Millett seems to be saying just the opposite. Wassup?

The pH of the city water here is around 8.2 or so. It hasn't bothered my citrus much but it kills the acid loving tropicals I grow as well as mayhaws. I catch rain water for them(my barrel was empty but the 15 inches of rain we had last weekend filled it back up!) The city mulch hasn't helped either and I mulched with it for 10 years(price is right though, free.) . It is hi pH as well since it has lots of oak in it. I now buy pine bark mulch($30 for 5 yards) to bring the pH down. Silly me, a few years ago I added some lime and raised the pH of my soil to 7.8. The result is minor deficiencies when abundant minors are there. I'm using the pine bark and pine needles to try and lower the pH back down.

Mr. Texas:
Is putting the pine bark on top of the soil as mulch will keep the pH down?
This is new to me so please elaborate.

Benny

Millet, I have tried to get someone at the local utilities to answer that question, everyone I have spoken to wants to talk about the pH when I ask about the alkalinity. I tried explaining it to them but so far I have not been able to reach the right person. Anyway here is some other info I do have.

My fertilizer:
NPK - 30-10-10
3% Ammoniacal Nitrogen
27% Urea

It also has small quantities of micro's
Boron - .02
Copper - .07
Iron - .325
Manganese - .05
Molybdewum(?) - .0005
Zinc - .07

I went to a local Petco to see what the fish department had to offer. They have a product called pH Down that is Sulfuric acid. I bought a bottle ($5.00). It took 8 drops to lower a gallon of water to a pH of 6.4

Since I water my few plants with a gallon jug I think I will adjust the pH as I water the plants. Would you agree this approach will work?

Thanks for your help and if I ever get a response from the water department I'll let you know.
John