213458 Tue Aug 24 22:22:34 -0700 2004 7 18 Manhattan 0 1136583 I started noticing yesterday that the tap water I've been served in restaurants has been tasting of chlorine. A chlorine taste in my experience is typical of August when the reservoirs are low and there has been a drought alert but that's not this year. So my conclusion and I was wondering if this jives with other people's perceptions is that the City is dousing our water as an anti-terrorist measure ? Am I suddenly being one of those paranoid types or am I odd as this seems, maybe right ? In any case I for one am drinking bottled water (though I hate the pretentious foisting off of bottled water by waiters) until this passes. Tue Aug 24 22:22:34 -0700 2004 0 Gourmet2 1 1136587 I used to have this problem when i lived in the Village, every August and September the water would get that strange taste. After spending a fortune on bottled water, I finally started using the Brita filtration system. Since moving to the Murray Hill area I don't notice is as much, so I assume it depends on the pipes supplying the city or some such. Anyway I still use the Brita system as it does make the water taste so much better. Tue Aug 24 22:30:12 -0700 2004 1136583 0 Jon 2 1136591 I too filter all my water at home but certainly it isn't the pipes that are supplying the chlorine. Clearly this is from a central filtration plant and thus a common policy for the entire city. I just wonder what else they are adding. Tue Aug 24 22:43:13 -0700 2004 1136587 0 gourmet2 3 1136637 FYI, NYC water is not filtered (although Croton water will be in several years). There are no "filtration plants". And it comes from two separate systems, the Croton (East of Hudson) and the Catskill-Delaware (west of Hudson). Most of the City uses Catskill-Delaware water, but parts of Manhattan get Croton system water. These are separate systems and can be treated differently. Hence the possibility for different tasting tap water in different parts of the City. P.S. I only drink tap water (and beer or wine) at restaurants. Wed Aug 25 10:36:40 -0700 2004 1136591 0 bobjbkln 3 1136830 Chlorine, flouride and calcium orthophosphate (a corrosion inhibitor). No filtration now, but in a few years they'll have filtration/UV for Croton and ultraviolet treatment for Catskill/Delaware. That should help eliminate the need for some of the chlorine. A lot of times when you notice chlorine it's because of a seasonal fluctuation. Warmer summer months means warmer water which helps breed bacteria, so the city adds more chlorine. There's less in the winter. If you let the water sit for a few hours in a pitcher in your fridge the chlorine will evaporate off. The city's raw Catskill/Delaware water, before it's treated, is virtually identical to Poland Spring. There's a difference though in the way each is delivered. (a little difference in the price too) Thu Aug 26 04:19:03 -0700 2004 1136591 0 Ian 1 1136602 Well, I doubt it's due to the GOP IMHO. Personally, I haven't been drinking NYC tap since they recently found 20 dead pigeons in a water tank in one of the buildings in my complex. I drink Poland Spring almost exclusively now, I don't care how much it costs. Sorry if this isn't directly related to Manhattan chow. Tue Aug 24 23:28:54 -0700 2004 1136583 0 nypb 1 1136657 Sorry, but reservoir levels in NYC are unusually high right now, at 98.4% of capacity in total, compared with 83% normal. Link: http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dep/html/maplevels.html Wed Aug 25 11:52:36 -0700 2004 1136583 0 bigskulls 1 1136794 Suddenly? What do you mean suddenly?!! NYC water has sucked for a couple of years now...I got a Brita filter at least two years ago because it got so bad. BeeT's Wed Aug 25 18:59:13 -0700 2004 1136583 0 Brad Trent