Due to the presence of Carbon Dioxide in groundwater, the pH tends to be acidic and needs to be neutralized if intended for use in household reticulation. Acidic water can corrode plumbing pipes and fittings causing irreparable damage.

On contact with calcite, acidic waters slowly dissolve the calcium carbonate to raise the pH which reduces potential leaching of copper, lead and other metals found in typical plumbing systems.

Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃).

Uses in Acid Neutralization

Calcite has numerous uses as a neutralizer of acids. For hundreds of years, limestones and marbles have been crushed and spread on fields as an acid-neutralizing soil treatment. They are also heated to produce lime that has a much faster reaction rate in the soil.

Calcite is used as an acid neutralizer in the chemical industry. In areas were streams are plagued with acid mine drainage, crushed limestone is dispensed into the streams to neutralize their waters.