This question is obviously intended for those that live in places where tap water is “safe to drink.”

I live in Southern California, where I’m at the end of a long chain of cities. Occasionally, the tap smells of sulfur, hardness changes, or it tastes… odd. I’m curious about the perspective of people that are directly involved and their reasoning.

    • ricecake@sh.itjust.works
      0·
      9 months ago

      I’m in mid Michigan, and you’re fine. The circumstances that lead (ba-dum) to the issues in Flint are unlikely to occur elsewhere, particularly if you’re closer to Detroit.

          • EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
            0·
            9 months ago

            they moved away from the supply that you’re on.

            As in, that’s what they did before the massive catastrophe that was “everybody gets cancer in the everything”, to paraphrase, right?

            • ricecake@sh.itjust.works
              0·
              9 months ago

              Correct.

              Flint was on the Detroit water supply, and then tried to save money by switching to one that the pipes couldn’t handle, which damaged the protective coating on the pipes and let lead leach into the water.
              After the coating was damaged there was no real way to fix it that was better than “replace the pipes”, which was on the agenda anyway.

              Lead pipes are bad, but they’re typically safe enough that it’s not an emergency due to the coating. It’s a worldwide effort to replace lead pipes with other materials that’s usually happening roughly inline with the usual service replacement schedule, but some places are going faster because of public concern or just a good opportunity. (My local water supply got the budget to do it while doing a different project, so it took two or three times as long, but happened a few decades early and was much cheaper, then when Flint happened they looked great by being able to respond to questions by saying they started years ago and are almost done)

    • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
      0·
      9 months ago

      why trust or not? Just get it tested if you’re worried. Mentioned elsewhere in this thread, you can take a sample and send it out to find if everything is in safe levels. (Just remember all water is going to have impurity, the key words are safe levels)

      • considine@lemmy.ml
        0·
        9 months ago

        Municipal drinking water is tested multiple times per day in Toronto, as it should be. Testing once and assuming the complex machinery and chemical levels are the same a week later is pure folly.

        Note that this is different from testing well water, which shouldn’t change much. Testing well water once a year is a good idea though.

        • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
          0·
          9 months ago

          Oh for sure, I’m not worried at all, but if other people are I don’t see why they don’t just get it tested rather than buying hundreds of dollars in bottled water

        • StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org
          0·
          9 months ago

          Not expensive but it depends on what you want to test. Most of the available tests can be gotten from aquarium supply stores. Got to keep fish healthy after all. Others can be gotten from pool supply companies.

        • Artisian@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          9 months ago

          depending on how much want to do, I have seen kits for ~$30. Pretty sure I’ve seen some small kits taken for camping, so they can’t be too pricy. And if you can’t afford it, just start bringing it up around town! Maybe somebody will get excited and do it for you.

          • EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
            0·
            9 months ago

            I don’t buy bottled water. I buy gallon jugs that I then refill at a filling station. Where I’m at, the filling station is typically about 0.40 USD/gallon.

            Still, I get your point. It would, of course, still be cheaper by far to use tap water.

            • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
              0·
              9 months ago

              Personally, I would trust those filling stations a whole lot less than my tap water. Tap water is constantly purified and being tested, and strictly regulated my multiple agencies, and the press is ready to jump on it the second it’s unsafe.

              One of those filling stations? Well for one the water I’m 90% sure is the same tap water anyway, and for 2, do they produce reports every month showing how safe they are like our city water does?

              • EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
                0·
                9 months ago

                Tap water is constantly purified

                But unlike a lot of the filling station water, tap water is often not purified with UV or reverse osmosis. (I looked it up and mine isn’t anyway.) So some dangerous byproducts from mining and the like get through.

                and the press is ready to jump on it the second it’s unsafe.

                Honestly, this is an excellent point I hadn’t thought of.

                One of those filling stations? Well for one the water I’m 90% sure is the same tap water anyway …

                It is, I believe, but with UV & reverse-osmosis so it’s more strongly filtered than tap water in the end.

                … and for 2, do they produce reports every month showing how safe they are like our city water does?

                Fair point.

                 

                (Also, please be aware that I fully admit I am not knowledgeable on this stuff; I’m just trying my best. So, if I am spouting any misconceptions, I welcome correction as long as it is kindly done.)