# Cities with great tap water... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485 "2009-11-13T21:03:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![heavybuhbuh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@heavybuhbuh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heavybuhbuh)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/1 "2009-11-13T21:03:44Z")
I have seen the studies, I want to hear what all of you think. What cities, in your opinion, have the best water straight out of the tap? I live in Los Angeles and I am one of the few thankful to our brethren in the north for even allowing us to HAVE water, so I can’t complain. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/2 "2009-11-13T21:06:44Z")
New York City has pretty good tap water, though it’s affected by the pipes in your building. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/3 "2009-11-13T21:07:51Z")
Calgary’s water is virtually pristine, thanks in part to having almost nobody upstream of us. Some complain about the chlorine content, but you just need to let the water sit for a little so that it evaporates out. ---
**Author:** ![smaje1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@smaje1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaje1)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/4 "2009-11-13T21:32:22Z")
> [@heavybuhbuh](#): > > I have seen the studies, I want to hear what all of you think. > > What cities, in your opinion, have the best water straight out of the tap? > > I live in Los Angeles and I am one of the few thankful to our brethren in the north for even allowing us to HAVE water, so I can’t complain. I just moved to Seattle from L.A. and I am amazed that I can drink tap water straight from the sink. I still use my Brita filter, but I think that’s just out of habit. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/5 "2009-11-13T21:45:06Z")
I find Toronto’s to be pretty good. But…every couple of years, we do have a taste and odour problem which is the result of higher water temperatures in the lake during the summer which results in the growth and decomposition of certain types of algae. Even with upgrades at the treatment plants, they can’t totally remove the geosmin from the water. ---
**Author:** ![Improvisor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/50afbb/32.png) [@Improvisor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improvisor)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/6 "2009-11-13T21:50:07Z")
I live in Seattle and it is always rated very highly. It’s basically glacier melt-off that fills two large lakes high in the Cascade Mountains which is then piped down to the city. [http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsdetail.asp?ID=8442&dept=40](http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsdetail.asp?ID=8442&dept=40) Info on the Tolt And Cedar River watersheds: > **[404 Error: Page Not Found | seattle.gov](https://www.seattle.gov/x9045.xml)** > > The page you were looking for is currently not available. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/7 "2009-11-13T22:12:59Z")
Chicago (Lake Michigan) water is great. Can’t imagine why anyone buys bottled around here. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/8 "2009-11-13T23:37:08Z")
San Francisco’s is awesome, as **heavybuhbuh** points out. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/9 "2009-11-13T23:39:23Z")
Boston’s tap water is generally pretty good. It is stupid to see so many people spending so much money on bottled water around here. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/10 "2009-11-13T23:41:35Z")
Suburban Boston. The tap water is fantastic. It’s one of the small pleasures I take in coming home-being able to drink out of the tap without worrying about the taste. I think it’s Quabbin. I think LA water tastes like poop, however. And no matter how long I run my taps, it comes out tepid. Never icy cold like at my parents’ house. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/11 "2009-11-13T23:55:02Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Calgary’s water is virtually pristine, thanks in part to having almost nobody upstream of us. Some complain about the chlorine content, but you just need to let the water sit for a little so that it evaporates out. Agreed. Buying bottled water here is paying extra for water of lower quality than what is coming out of our taps. ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/12 "2009-11-14T00:12:44Z")
St. Louis has good tap water. I read a couple years ago that St. Louis was picked best in the country in a blind taste test. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/13 "2009-11-14T02:18:08Z")
Memphis has great tap water, thanks to its [aquifer](http://gwi.memphis.edu/history/history.htm). ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/14 "2009-11-14T02:57:12Z")
Here in Salt Lake, the tap water is better than most bottled water that I have had… ---
**Author:** ![hekk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/15 "2009-11-14T03:23:16Z")
I’d argue that any Great Lakes city has great tap water. Plus, any big city treats their water WAY better (reverse osmosis, UV, etc.) than any random small city or town with wells and a water tower or two, which may get a bit chlorine or polyphosphate added but probably doesn’t, IME. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/16 "2009-11-14T03:27:37Z")
> [@Kid\_A](#): > > I find Toronto’s to be pretty good. But…every couple of years, we do have a taste and odour problem which is the result of higher water temperatures in the lake during the summer which results in the growth and decomposition of certain types of algae. > > Even with upgrades at the treatment plants, they can’t totally remove the geosmin from the water. Ugh. Yes. I’m so glad it’s been a couple of years since the last time that happened… I’m usually morally opposed to drinking bottled water, but I make an exception for those few days. There’s no Brita in the world that can remove the flavour of dead rotten algae. The rest of the time, though, I find Toronto’s tap water to be very drinkable. I’m reminded of how lucky we are each time I visit relatives in Ottawa and Kingston, where the water always seems to have a chalky aftertaste. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/17 "2009-11-14T03:42:16Z")
Honolulu! I was told it came from some sort of pure natural underground aquifer or whatever it’s called. Cheaper than most municipalities, too; you’re charged only for the cost of pumping it to you. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/18 "2009-11-14T05:02:19Z")
Sydney’s is quite good, bit I think that Melbourne’s is better. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/19 "2009-11-14T05:30:38Z")
> [@hekk](#): > > I’d argue that any Great Lakes city has great tap water. Plus, any big city treats their water WAY better (reverse osmosis, UV, etc.) than any random small city or town with wells and a water tower or two, which may get a bit chlorine or polyphosphate added but probably doesn’t, IME. I would doubt that any city would use reverse osmosis. The expence would be beyond belief. I live in San Jose Ca. My advice to anyone who drinks our tap water is to chew it first before swallowing. Depending on the location in the city and and time of year the hardness can be over 700 ppm hardness. Most of our water is from wells. San Francisco is almost pure. It runs about 10 parts. But the unfilter water has a lot of particulate matter. the water comes from the Hetch Hetch dam near Yosemite. There are wild animals and fish that do what is natural near water. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485/20 "2009-11-14T06:23:21Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > I would doubt that any city would use reverse osmosis. The expence would be beyond belief. The reality is that many municipalities use reverse osmosis (I know of several in suburban Chicago). And, believe it or not, it is a matter of economics! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-great-tap-water/517485.md?page=2)