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Why does the water here taste so awful?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 | 2 a.m.
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High calcium and magnesium content gives our water that duststorm-in-a-cup flavor. The snowmelt that fills Lake Mead gathers the minerals on its journey.
The note of chlorine — the chemical used to disinfect it — also offends some palates.
A community advisory panel in the mid-1990s debated whether it would be worth the cost for additional processing to further clean and soften the water. A consensus emerged that if individuals wanted to pay for home purification systems for better-tasting water they could, but the community as a whole shouldn’t take on the expense when most of the water ends up being poured on lawns anyway.
Alas, not everyone hates the water. Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, said at a recent legislative hearing that he tells waiters he’ll have Lake Mead with a twist. “Lemon helps soften it — it’s good water,” he said.
When the lake gives you dusty water, make lemonade.
Questions for Mr. Sun should be sent to page8@lasvegassun.com.
Discussion: 18 comments so far…
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And here's our Bozo Bob Coffin the tax-pimp with some more sound advice for Navadans, telling waiters he'll have "Lake Mead with a twist, lemon helps soften it, its good water," what a clown.
Potable Lake Mead water even RO (Reverse Osmosis) treated tastes bad.
Simple Solution: Water Distiller, taste the difference of pure water.
http://www.a1-water-distiller.com/
Mr Sun forgot to mention the uranium that the water is filtered thru in the grand canyon.
Unfortunately, many of the hotels and restaurants opt to not use any purification systems for the water that they serve. This way disgusted customers will opt to spend $5 - $9 on a bottle of water for two. The common result is that the customer just avoids drinking much needed water and ends up mildly dehydrated while visiting.
In the infinite wisdom of Pat Mulroy, SNWA, it was decided to continue to pursue a strategy of "recharge" credits.
What this amounts to is SNWA is allowed a credit for all the waste water that returns to the lake and thus SNWA can pump it to residents to drink.
Most cities with water shortages began programs that took waste water, effluent, and used this water for landscapes, parks and golf courses.
So if the water you are drinking stinks, put your head between your legs and you will recognize the smell.
The good news is that the water we drink, reused 5 times before it becomes ice in your glass of water, is so tainted with pharmaceuticals that pregnancy and depression are down in Clark County.....but then hair growing where it shouldn't is on the rise.
Jet fuel.... they forgot the jet fuel.
Somebody forgot to mention that Las Vegas is in a desert that cannot sustainably support 2 million people.
Municipal water supplies are always deemed "safe" to drink until, over time, people get "sick".
Just because water is "potable" doesn't mean it's "safe" to drink. It just won't typically give you "intestinal distress".
I grew up here in vegas. As a kid and young adult I drank the water and thought nothing of it. Water from the hose in the yard tasted great in the summer. I left to join the military in the mid 80's returning in the mid 90's. I could not drink the water. It was slimey and tasted like crap. Sorry about the plastic bottles going into land fills but I buy bottled water every week. I only use tap for bathing, laundry and dishes. My cat wont even drink the tap water.
@ LV4LIFE unless you're purchasing 'distilled water' you're likely getting water similar to that which is tapped.
Don't believe me, do a little research regarding the water source and 'treatment' of those bottling it.
Better yet, purchase a distiller as recommended and observe the impurities remaining in the still your bottled water produces after distilling it for yourself.
Your pocket book, health, taste buds and our landfills will no longer be sorry.
Just another reason to drink beer instead :-D
Germans are tough. They started 2 world wars, lost them both, but are still around. Pat "the Fraulein" Mulroy has her own war. "You vill spend 3-4 billion on a water sucking pipe from central Nevada to Vegas, or you vill die from thirst?". Good old Pat, love those cigarette rippled lips. Go back to your homeland Pat....
I always love the SNWA commercials where the spokes person assures us that the water complies with "all Federal drinking water regulations".
That's because there are tons of chemicals in the water which are not on the Federal list.
When Nevada adopts California's Proposition 65 and its drinking water standards, then I'll ingest. Meanwhile, I just have to keep buying new paint brushes because our water is so sticky, when I wash my brushes the water glues the brush bristles together. Eeew!
The last time I visited Las Vegas the waiters at the resturants did not know if the coffee and tea were made with tap water or not. The tea tasted well enough but the coffee was a disaster. Does anyone know if the resturants in Excaliber or Mandalay Bay use the city water untreated?
If the water does have a high Calcium and Magnesium content then drink it! It's better for your health than distilled especially if the magnesium content is high.
If you'd seen some of the logs I sent down to Lake Mead you wouldn't question why the water tastes so awful.
The water in Las Vegas may not be the best, but how many cities have great tap water? People are so worried about the taste, just wait until there is no water period, then we will all appreciate what we take for granted now.
Unless you plan to use distilled water exclusively, the crap SNWA is gouging us for will kill you regardless. The slow way, it permeates your skin while washing. The quick way, several forms of cancer or kidney failure.
This junk has every form of industrial solvent, mineral, and don't forget ammonium perchlorate.
The idea that there is no standard for contamination doesn't make having this crud in the water safe to drink.
SNWA only wants to squeeze us for as much as they can. Never mind that they are killing us in the process.
The only solution is move somewhere that the water hasn't been ruined yet!
"but the community as a whole shouldn't take on the expense when most of the water ends up being poured on lawns anyway."
I wish Bob Coffin applied the same logic to funding the CCSD (and UNLV), because the community as a whole should'nt take on the expense when most of the money end up being poured on CCSD anyway.