Bottled water is pretty evil, no matter what way you spin it. Essentially what happens is that a company is pumping water from our aquifers (the place from where the water in your pipes comes from) bottles it (another bad) and then sells it to you at a premium. The water that comes in your pipes is watched carefully and is high quality. If you need to treat yourself install a filter or use a Brita. By not encouraging water companies you are not only saving bottles from coming into circulation but also saving our water stores.
Learn more about Israel’s current water situation.
Author: Jack Reichert
As far back as he can remember Jack Reichert has been interested in the environment. In the second grade, he rallied all of his classmates to donate one recess a week to cleaning up litter from the schoolyard. That was the same year that a city councilman asked him to help with his campaign because of the letter Jack had written asking him to clean up Boston Harbor. Ever since Jack has followed the development of the international green conscience with anticipation and hope that one day we will treat Mother Earth with the respect she deserves and not turn her into another Giving Tree. For tips, feedback and prophet sightings, Jack can be reached at jack (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
If you are really concerned, you can have your tap water tested by a chemistry lab. The health ministry has labs, and there are some private ones as well.
Filters are the most cost efficient way to go, especially if you install one under your sink or at the head of the water supply to your domicile. Activated carbon reduces chlorine and organic compounds, and other filters are available to remove nitrates and other ions.
Or you can let your tap water stand for a few hours to let the chlorine evaporate and then refrigerate. Remember that the chlorine protects us from waterborne pathogens/diseases like cholera.
Good point. I use filters for the taste factor as well… Unfortunately there are some companies which are not so good our country and it’s probably better not to support them.
Even if the water that comes out of the tap where you live is OK from a health standpoint, what about from a *taste* standpoint? I do generally drink iced tap water (in fact, massive quantities in this hot, hot summer) for financial reasons. But I buy bottled water occasionally because it tastes so much better. Like Jack, I am concerned about our aquifers, though, so lately I’ve been buying non-Israeli bottled water when I buy it. That’s a strange feeling for a person who generally tries to buy blue & white!
Good question Tal, from what I understand the water lines are monitored carefully. If a main gets tainted it is brought offline and a different source is used until the tainted source is cleaned. The only reason to worry about tap is if you are living in a building with bad piping.
So, whats a Ramat Hasharon resident to do? Our water source is basically Taas’ dumping place… And from acquaintances who work for Taas and the water company, I shouldn’t approach our tap water with a 10 foot pole that has a uv lit brita filter on the edge…
I always get tap at restaurants, but at home, it’s a bit scarier.