Other Sources for Drinking Water?

[Crema Americana]

I'm not too picky about water as long as it doesn't have a metallic or chlorine taste. Unless somebody is willing to break off a chunk of iceberg in Antarctica and bring it back for water, chances are whatever you buy isn't going to be "completely natural." And with all the air pollution and such, I'm not even sure natural sources of water are that clean anymore. Of course if available, it'd be good to know what brands are best. I'd drink from the tap, but they tend to cut the water off at times so I'm a little wary of that (it comes out brown and who knows what controls are like out here in this part of provincia.)

We drink Ivess... it's probably not what you're looking for, but it tastes fine. Here is the mineral list:

(mg/l)
Bicarbonato 51.8
Cloruro 45.5
Sulfato 2
Calcio 20.3
Magnesio 2
Potasio 43.7
Sodio 10



I also have a bottle of Nestle here.
Calcio 51.5
Magnesio 5.2
Sodio 79.6
Fluoruro < 0.6
Bicarbonato 225.3

 

[Mano Negra]

Of course it's not Europe here, but I have to say, I really miss the tremendous selection in the stores for drinking water.

So far visiting many of the supermarkets here, I basically see a limited range.
Nestle (personally stay away from that one), Villa del Sur (owned by Danone, another I stay away from), Eco de los Andes (fluoridates the water), Villavicencio (fluoridates the water), and there are a couple others, one owned by Coca-Cola, but that's about the line I've been seeing so far. Even for the largest stores.
Imho, for all the nice streams, springs and mountain run-off of Patagonia areas for example, there seems to be a sort of monopoly on the bottled water industry. Not surprised actually. Look for example at the fight that the Paraguayans had to put up some time ago to keep out big corp from confiscating their water supply and selling it back to them. Good for them for standing up and booting them out.
"Blue gold", one of the most important elements for our existence, no wonder there are ones wanting control of such a valuable resource. As well, poor quality water means a less than stellar existence. But I digress.

Also, certainly not here to debate the fluoride issue, but just stating that I do not prefer that in water and yet I read on several labels that they deliberately fluoridate the water ("agua fluorada"), at least that's what I gather it means. In the EU for example, it has been banned.

Therefore, posting this to see if anyone knows of some other sources for drinking water.

Thanks for any help.

The best water here is in the wine, so I only drink that! Mainly Pinot Noir, the un-promoted star of Argentina. And the Patagonian Pinots are great. Something to do with the water? And glass wine bottles can be recycled easily, how many water bottles are? If you can really tell the difference between chilled tap water and all the different bottles, you are not drinking enough booze! Sounds to me that you either have a very boring life or have been sucked into the marketing con that is bottled water....one of the most eco-unfriendly inventions of modern time (if you look at the carbon footprint). And by the way, if you eat enough fruit, veg, and amazingly MacDonalds, you only need to top up with a couple of glasses a day. Not the litres recommended by health nuts that didn't calculate the water content of food.

 

[el_expatriado]

We must unite to stop fluoridated water! It is an obvious conspiracy by the communistic world government to pollute our precious bodily fluids.

 

[Argento]

Thanks for the other recommendations.
I personally do not prefer fluoride and chlorine because I think they are not good for a person. This is my personal opinion. What else to say. It's that simple.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

Why the hell would the local market need expensive water shipped / flown to Argentina at great economic and environmental cost?

Anyone paying premium for water is a marketing department's wet dream. Fools & their money.

Some people deserve to ripped off in fariness.

 

[Panini]

Why the hell would the local market need expensive water shipped / flown to Argentina at great economic and environmental cost?

Anyone paying premium for water is a marketing department's wet dream. Fools & their money.

Some people deserve to ripped off in fariness.

The environmental cost is the killer for me - water from Fiji? Ehh no I'm grand thanks, tap will do for now.

I generally ask for tap water in restaurants and yesterday our waiter actually refused because he said it was dangerous to drink the water in BsAs and gave us a free bottle of water....

 

[arlean]

I have been told by a water filtration company here there is no fluoride in the water. But there IS chlorine. As one person said, you don't have to be told about chlorine, sometimes you can smell it!

I put a filter on my shower because you can get more chlorine (or whatever else is in a water supply) in a shower, particularly if you like a hot shower, than you can ever drink in a day. You absorb it in your skin and you breathe it in the vapor from the shower. I also have a countertop distiller. Not the best water for good health, but I have seen the river that our water comes from!

Argento, congratulations on your knowledge about the commercially sold water and about the effects of fluoride. For the benefit of the unsuspecting, Hitler used fluoride in the water of his prison camps to make the prisoners docile and non resistant. No thanks. I prefer to continue my obstinate ways!

 

[lela]

i have a problem drinking any tab water, its psychologically as i was water poised long time ago, got an amoebic infection and was for very long very sick!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoebiasis

i do order from PALAU direct, they bring it home and its great water, not to mention its cheaper then buying at the chines store.

email to fede [email protected] <[email protected]>;
he speaks english, the guys come actually when they say, very friendly service!

http://www.aguapalau.com.ar/palau/index.html

CI- 110mg/l
SO4= 95 mg/l
Ca+2 <3mg/l
Mg+2 <1mg/l
Na+ 175mg/l
K+ <3mg/l
Fe+3 <0,10mg/l
f 0,64mg/l

 

[Adios_USA]

Decent drinking water is tough to find in BA. I am fortunate in that I have my own water distiller machine I brought from the states and it makes about5 gallons per day. Before the unit arrived though, I used to buy distilled water (agua desmineralizada) delivered directly to my door from Torbidoni- 4581-2123. They have a 100 liter minimum and the water is fabulous. They do not sell dispensers, but fortunately, I have a nice ceramic crock and glass sparkletts water bottle I brought from the USA. I really hate it that the vast majority of bottled water here is fluoridated. And I would NEVER drink the tap water. It is gross and full of dissolved solids that I have to scrape and scratch out of the distiller boiling chamber every month. The only way that stuff comes off it to boil it in concentrated vinegar and then scrub it off with a steel wool pad. Nasty!