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There is probably need for water infrastructure upgrades, but that’s not the central reason for the consumer choice — they’re not “falling into a trap” when the

There is probably need for water infrastructure upgrades, but that’s not the central reason for the consumer choice — they’re not “falling into a trap” when they buy water. There is value captured in the health, convenience, safety and satisfaction aspect of on-demand, portable, trustworthily quality-assured water access for a premium that this piece doesn’t really deal with. Does anywhere even do good public water infrastructure? I wouldn’t trust a public fountain or refill station in my city.

tonmoy 4y ago
What makes you trust a company filling bottles more than a public entity? Just because one is for profit and another isn’t?
grecy 4y ago
> Does anywhere even do good public water infrastructure? Yep, developed countries do. It's impressive the logical hoops you'll jump through to justify terribly inadequate public services and then just wave it away saying "it's good to pay for better quality".
- Cockbrand 4y ago
  +1 for this - Germany has excellent tap water pretty much everywhere. Water supply is a public service, and an extremely high quality standard is mandated by law. I can't vouch for all neighboring countries and Scandinavia, but from my travel experience, their tap water is at least very good, if not the same quality or even better.
  - Semaphor 4y ago
    As someone who has to use a water filter: The quality from a health-PoV is great, the taste-quality depends far more on location. The water where I live is very hard, and I can’t stand the taste, so I have to filter it before drinking.
  - tchaffee 4y ago
    > from my travel experience You can't taste many industrial chemicals or even biological contaminants. Tap water can taste great and be unsafe. And taste horrible due to minerals and be perfectly safe. You really need to see regular reports on water tests to understand if the local infrastructure provides safe drinking water.
- vkou 4y ago
  What's more impressive is immediately jumping to the assumption that because bottled water is ~2,000 times more expensive than tap water, that it's at all better. It's theoretically possible that your particular town's tap water comes straight from the devil's armpit, and has a generous helping of cyanide and arsenic in it, but in the vast, vast majority of the developed world, there is not a damn thing wrong with it.
- cehrlich 4y ago
  Yeah, I lived in Austria and travel across Europe fairly often, the only time I buy bottled water is in the airport or when I accidentally leave my refillable bottle of tap water at home. The quality of the tap water is equal to or better than the bottled water.
  - tchaffee 4y ago
    That's more of an indictment against bottled water than it is an endorsement for tap water. Both bottled and tap water are too often full of stuff you don't want to be drinking. https://bestlifeonline.com/worst-drinking-water/ https://bestlifeonline.com/worst-drinking-water/ A drip (aka wick) filter is a cheap enough way to remove a lot that.
    - nobody9999 4y ago
      >Both bottled and tap water are too often full of stuff you don't want to be drinking. https://bestlifeonline.com/best-drinking-water/ https://bestlifeonline.com/best-drinking-water/ I guess that depends on where you are.
      - tchaffee 4y ago
        Yes, of course. That was my point. That the heuristic of "developed country" is not effective just because it's sometimes right. Also take a look at the number of contaminants in the water for each those cities in your source. It's not zero for any of them.
  - Scoundreller 4y ago
    > the only time I buy bottled water is in the airport Why? Liquids are restricted at security, but bottles aren’t. Brought an empty sodastream concentrate bottle before out of desperation. Whenever an airport doesn’t have fountains, I always ferry a complaint.
- tchaffee 4y ago
  > developed countries do Too often not. https://bestlifeonline.com/worst-drinking-water/ https://bestlifeonline.com/worst-drinking-water/ And that's not an endorsement for bottled water, which has also often been found to be as bad as or worse than tap water. I use a drip / wick filter. Very cheap and it removes a lot of the bad stuff and makes the water taste better.
  - Semaphor 4y ago
    > The 25 U.S. Cities with the Worst Drinking Water I don’t know for sure, but I think parent was making a quip about the U.S. not being a developed country.
    - tchaffee 4y ago
      I wouldn't trust the water in any industrialized country unless I could see the reports. Especially city tap water. Mountain resort or any rural area without industrial farming is probably a safe bet. Germany possibly gets it right.
      - vkou 4y ago
        > I wouldn't trust the water in any industrialized country unless I could see the reports. Most municipalities in industrialized countries regularly publish water quality tests and reports. Most areas also have independent testing labs that are used by private citizens to test their well water, so you're always free to double-check the official reports. Rural areas are the ones who often don't. And industrial farming isn't the only way (literal) shit can contaminate your water supply.
        tchaffee 4y ago
        > Most municipalities in industrialized countries regularly publish water quality tests and reports. Well yes, that's why I mentioned reports in the first place. > And industrial farming isn't the only way (literal) shit can contaminate your water supply. Agreed. Don't drink water out of fresh looking mountain streams unless you want to risk being sick for weeks. But the topic is tap water & bottled water. In rural areas in developed countries and where there is little risk of industrial farming contamination, there should be no hesitation in drinking the tap water as a visitor. If you live there, then of course get the water tested. Trusting any water long term without tests is a risk. And since lots of testing is either free or very cheap, there is no reason not to.

tonmoy 4y ago

What makes you trust a company filling bottles more than a public entity? Just because one is for profit and another isn’t?

grecy 4y ago

> Does anywhere even do good public water infrastructure? Yep, developed countries do. It's impressive the logical hoops you'll jump through to justify terribly inadequate public services and then just wave it away saying "it's good to pay for better quality".

Cockbrand 4y ago
+1 for this - Germany has excellent tap water pretty much everywhere. Water supply is a public service, and an extremely high quality standard is mandated by law. I can't vouch for all neighboring countries and Scandinavia, but from my travel experience, their tap water is at least very good, if not the same quality or even better.
- Semaphor 4y ago
  As someone who has to use a water filter: The quality from a health-PoV is great, the taste-quality depends far more on location. The water where I live is very hard, and I can’t stand the taste, so I have to filter it before drinking.
- tchaffee 4y ago
  > from my travel experience You can't taste many industrial chemicals or even biological contaminants. Tap water can taste great and be unsafe. And taste horrible due to minerals and be perfectly safe. You really need to see regular reports on water tests to understand if the local infrastructure provides safe drinking water.
vkou 4y ago
What's more impressive is immediately jumping to the assumption that because bottled water is ~2,000 times more expensive than tap water, that it's at all better. It's theoretically possible that your particular town's tap water comes straight from the devil's armpit, and has a generous helping of cyanide and arsenic in it, but in the vast, vast majority of the developed world, there is not a damn thing wrong with it.
cehrlich 4y ago
Yeah, I lived in Austria and travel across Europe fairly often, the only time I buy bottled water is in the airport or when I accidentally leave my refillable bottle of tap water at home. The quality of the tap water is equal to or better than the bottled water.
- tchaffee 4y ago
  That's more of an indictment against bottled water than it is an endorsement for tap water. Both bottled and tap water are too often full of stuff you don't want to be drinking. https://bestlifeonline.com/worst-drinking-water/ https://bestlifeonline.com/worst-drinking-water/ A drip (aka wick) filter is a cheap enough way to remove a lot that.
  - nobody9999 4y ago
    >Both bottled and tap water are too often full of stuff you don't want to be drinking. https://bestlifeonline.com/best-drinking-water/ https://bestlifeonline.com/best-drinking-water/ I guess that depends on where you are.
    - tchaffee 4y ago
      Yes, of course. That was my point. That the heuristic of "developed country" is not effective just because it's sometimes right. Also take a look at the number of contaminants in the water for each those cities in your source. It's not zero for any of them.
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  > the only time I buy bottled water is in the airport Why? Liquids are restricted at security, but bottles aren’t. Brought an empty sodastream concentrate bottle before out of desperation. Whenever an airport doesn’t have fountains, I always ferry a complaint.
tchaffee 4y ago
> developed countries do Too often not. https://bestlifeonline.com/worst-drinking-water/ https://bestlifeonline.com/worst-drinking-water/ And that's not an endorsement for bottled water, which has also often been found to be as bad as or worse than tap water. I use a drip / wick filter. Very cheap and it removes a lot of the bad stuff and makes the water taste better.
- Semaphor 4y ago
  > The 25 U.S. Cities with the Worst Drinking Water I don’t know for sure, but I think parent was making a quip about the U.S. not being a developed country.
  - tchaffee 4y ago
    I wouldn't trust the water in any industrialized country unless I could see the reports. Especially city tap water. Mountain resort or any rural area without industrial farming is probably a safe bet. Germany possibly gets it right.
    - vkou 4y ago
      > I wouldn't trust the water in any industrialized country unless I could see the reports. Most municipalities in industrialized countries regularly publish water quality tests and reports. Most areas also have independent testing labs that are used by private citizens to test their well water, so you're always free to double-check the official reports. Rural areas are the ones who often don't. And industrial farming isn't the only way (literal) shit can contaminate your water supply.
      - tchaffee 4y ago
        > Most municipalities in industrialized countries regularly publish water quality tests and reports. Well yes, that's why I mentioned reports in the first place. > And industrial farming isn't the only way (literal) shit can contaminate your water supply. Agreed. Don't drink water out of fresh looking mountain streams unless you want to risk being sick for weeks. But the topic is tap water & bottled water. In rural areas in developed countries and where there is little risk of industrial farming contamination, there should be no hesitation in drinking the tap water as a visitor. If you live there, then of course get the water tested. Trusting any water long term without tests is a risk. And since lots of testing is either free or very cheap, there is no reason not to.