How’s the water in Washington?
I recently moved to the District from the other Washington (as in, I flew over Monday night), and while chatting up the sublettor as he packed the last of his things, he mentioned that he was taking his Brita filter with him. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to my new roommate about this situation, but I'm concerned.
I never felt comfortable drinking water straight from the tap in my house in Seattle. Early on in my two-year stay in that house off campus, I filled a glass from the kitchen faucet and was dismayed and a bit disgusted to find swirling gray water almost touching my lips. From then on, I used botted water, even to cook.
My parents' house in eastern Washington (the state) has great water, but I think that's because we have well water.
When I visited friends in New Jersey and New York City earlier this year, I heard all about how great tap water is in the city, and yes, I definitely agree. The water in NYC is pretty darn swell. NYC is so big and still has awesome water, it would be logical to thing that D.C. water filtration systems would be of high quality as well.
What do you think? Should I buy a water filter on my way home from work tonight? Is tap water in D.C. rivaling NYC in water taste, purity and clarity? Are Brita filters so common in the District that it's unheard of to drink straight from the tap? Does everyone know something that I, mere "newbie," haven't discovered yet? Or are filters for the health-conscious Seattleites and other West-Coasters who move east and fear for the worst?
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5:07 pm
Get a Brita! You'll love it, as long as you keep it clean and keep some extra filters on hand.
5:18 pm
I drink from the faucet and from a Brita...both are fine
5:27 pm
I'm a lifelong fan of D.C. tap water. The bottle stuff is bullshit. Check out this sweet takedown from Monday's WaPo: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/29/AR2008062901872.html
5:30 pm
Dude, just give up trying to say your from Washington State. You're going to get sick of clarifying it.
Just say you're from Oregon. Frankly, we don't know the difference.
5:32 pm
Tap water in Seattle is absolutely fine--hell, it's a privilege. Blame your last mile plumbing, don't imply that the city's water is sub-par!
7:14 pm
NYC water is rainwater, collected by an extensive reservoir system, well-filtered and cleanly delivered. New York expats gripe about the nasty taste of mineral-laden groundwater and vegetable-soup river water elsewhere, and are annoyed that their favorite shampoos and soaps don't lather up well when they travel.
Then again, what won't New Yorkers gripe about?
11:53 am
Get a Brita. Even folks from WASA (the water people) admit to the poor quality of DC water.
12:55 pm
Our DC water is much harder than NY's and sometimes, one can even detect a faint chlorine odor. I use a Brita for drinking water & ice cubes as a matter of taste but am fine cooking with tap water.
8:41 pm
Are all of you so new to DC that you don't remember the the huge lead in the water debacle a few years back? I know this city has a high turnover, but geez!
The latest update: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43649-2004May20.html