FlyerTalk Forums - Refill the beverage in EU but, is that very expensive?

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMOliver (Post 14188034)

I suppose that puts you at odds with most of those who live there (and hundreds of thousands of visitors, business, political and touristic).

Actually, on the record, DC water has been judged to taste pretty good, better than in many US cities (certainly including my own). Chemically treated? The list of jurisdictions which don't chlorinate water is very short (and much of the bottled water for which you have such an unrealistic obsession comes from the tap in locales which "treat" the water. Bottlers simply let the product "sit' and filter it).

Old pipes? I thought the water in Segovia, Spain tasted OK, and the acqueuct which carries it into town has 2000+/- years of "seasoning". I can make a good case that the very common "Concrete/asbestos" water lines, widely used, may be a greater hazard than DC water in its old pipes. Certainly, the internal plumbing of many old houses around the country, literally dripping with lead, puts you at greater risk than few glasses of DC drinking water.

Bottled water is but a chic affectation of those whose insecurity drives them to demonstrate their levels of culture and sophistication.

"We are not peons, not of the hoi polloi. We drink from bottles, not boobishly swilling from the tap!"

1. DC tap water comes from the Potomac, which while not the worst possible source, is not nearly as good as many cities' sources. I would like to see the 'record' which you cite for DC water tasting 'pretty good'. I could find no source. It certainly doesn't match up to what I grew up with.

2. There is more than one type of chemical treatment available for treating water. Different methods yield different taste results.

3. There have been several 'Don't drink the water' alerts in DC over the past few years. These alerts are coming from the Water Company itself or government authorities, first because of bacteria in the water, and then after they changed the treatment method, because of lead in the water, normally not coming from the pipes in people's homes, but from the service pipes which connect the homes to the water supply and the water mains themselves. It seems the new treatment method was too corrosive. Regardless of the source, better to drink bottled water than leaded water.

4. Perhaps the Romans were better at building aqueducts than pre-civil war Americans. I do know that the water infrastructure in DC is failing, with significant water main breaks every year, resulting in localized boil water alerts, and the age of the system is always cited as a primary cause.

5. When you google DC Tap water, everything you read is negative, unlike, for example, New York City Tap water. I think you are defending the wrong city's tap water. I can assure you that many who live in DC do not drink the water, and its not because of a 'chic affectation'.