Tap water doesnt quench thirst

[syngirl]

We have a sodero that delivers our water -- most locals I know have a delivery service too, though it doesn't seem as popular anymore with younger people.

I know you can buy 5L at the grocery store, but our sodero delivers water and soda -- 12 pesos for a 12L bottle of water.

If we run out before the end of the week I usually just boil tap water and put it in the fridge. I trust it is safe, I just don't like the taste.

I think it's kind of like milk though, you get used to the taste of the milk where you grew up, and then everywhere else it always tastes a bit different -- not necessarily bad or good, just, different.

 

[gouchobob]

I was advised by Argentinians to drink bottled water due the high mineral content(i.e. hard water) out of the tap. Their belief is that drinking tap water can cause kidney stones. There are some studies linking hard water to kidney stones. Haven't seen any analysis of water in B.A. to prove or disprove the fear.

I guess you can drink tap water if you think it's safe, I think it depends on your degree of confidence in the local water authority, my level of confidence is not very high.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

not so sure i would trust the tap water anywhere, including argentina. i use a water filter and even though the tap water comes out clean from the faucet, the filter turns a dark brown after only moderate usage.

i've also had conversations with argentines who never allow their children to drink tap water, especially not immediately from the tap. at the very least, let the water stand several hours in order to reduce the chlorine. boiling and then drinking is probably even better.

if chlorinated water is not good for house plants, then it's probably also not a good idea for human consumption.

Depends. If you live in Buenos Aires city, the water quality is excellent. No3 is less than 10 ppm.
There were problems some years ago because in South and west Gran Buenos Aires tap water had over 50 ppm and that´s is dangerous for babys. Until 45 ppm the water is legally drinkable.
The water in Buenos Aires city is extremly soft, this means that it has very low sodium, calcium, Mg, sulphates, etc.
It has Po4 and that´s means they are using something alike RO filters to improve water quality.
Plants are different that humans. Chloridre in excess makes some of them drown. For us this is "el mal menor" (the lesser evil) because don´t forget we have dengue. That´s why in summer time they use more chloridre.
The reason we say we have an excellent water quality is because:
1) We have low population, it mean less nitrates in water. Nitrates is a chemical way to say shit. In Europe many countries have a barely legal nitrates level. Close to 45 ppm.
2) This is a country with not to many industries. I read at NY Times that water quality is an issue in the US because water is poluted with over 60.000 different chemists but the agency that control it only check for the obvious ones like nitrates.
3) We have only 2 nuclear plants.
4) If you buy bottle water, you should buy only water from cordillera de los andes, this is for sure the best quality one.
Regards

 

[Bajo_cero2]

I was advised by Argentinians to drink bottled water due the high mineral content(i.e. hard water) out of the tap. Their belief is that drinking tap water can cause kidney stones. There are some studies linking hard water to kidney stones. Haven't seen any analysis of water in B.A. to prove or disprove the fear.

I guess you can drink tap water if you think it's safe, I think it depends on your degree of confidence in the local water authority, my level of confidence is not very high.

In fact, the water in BA city i very soft. But in Gran Bueno Aires depends. If you want to know how hard the water is you can buy a GH test at an aquarium.

The value for BA city are:
Los datos para C.A.B.A. - Argentina

Analito Unidad Rango
Alcalinidad (CO3Ca) mg/l 45/65
Calcio(Ca++) mg/l 18 a 22
Cloruro(Cl-) mg/l 22/30
Magnesio(Mg++) mg/l 4 a 6
Sulfato(SO4--) mg/l 35/45
Sodio (Na+) mg/l 20 a 30
Nitrato(NO3-) mg/l 4 a 6
Potasio(K+) mg/l 4 a 6
Fluoruro(F-) mg/l <0.5
Dureza Total (CO3Ca) mg/l 45 /60
Nitrito (NO2-) mg/l <0.01
Fosfatos mg/l <0.5
Amonio(NH4+) mg/l <0.05
Silice soluble Si mg/l 10 a 14
Turbiedad NTU 0.5 / 2
Conductividad us/cm 200 / 400
Cloro (HclO) mg/l 0.5 / 1.5
Ph 7 y 7.6

Regards

 

[Adios_USA]

This is a great thread. I found the same problem when I arrived, no matter how much I drank, I was always parched. Finally, I recieved my cargo from the USA and got my water distiller going so I have an unlimited supply now. My question is: Do they add Fluoride to the water or is it naturally ocurring?

 

[davonz]

I read somewhere that BA was the first city in the world to have potable tap water.. Does anyone else know this, or can correct me ???

I have always found water in BA to be good, and compared to alot of places i have lived/traveled, very good..

I am not sure about the hard water causing kidney stones, as i have drunk hard water most of my life, from an early age. You can make it softer buy spraying it (aerating it by fine spay/mist) into a container.

In NZ they tested the water of all the main cities, and found that the water quality was as good or better then bottle water - reason: bottled water had chemical residue/contaminants left over from the production and cleaning of the bottles before filling. Locally producted and imported brands where tested.

If you leave tap water in an open topped container at room temperature overnight, the chorine will evaporate.

 

[theglow]

The tap water seems fine to me. I bought bottled water when I first arrived, but at the recommendation of an Argentine friend, I started drinking it from the tap after a few weeks. It's been quite a while now, and I haven't had the slightest side-effect. Just use plenty of ice like we Americans are accustomed to! I think there are tons of other things out there that will surely kill us before the tap water will - here in Argentina, the sidewalks and the bus drivers, for example .

 

[azure]

It's to do with the way humans still have stone-age stimulus/response mechanisms and it's more or less the same process (with different triggers) that leads people to eat too much fast food. Essentially when you fill yourself up from the tap, you are guzzling faster than the biofeedback process (that tells you that you've had enough) can keep up with. So you drink too much.

I'm content to drink Bs As tap water, and it is perfectly safe. If the taste is not to your ...erme... taste try putting it in the refrigerator overnight. I've explained the science behind that in an earlier post which you can find from the site search function.

Meanwhile, you could try decanting the tap water into a bottle to encourage yourself to sip little and often and not let the craving build up in the first place. And if you reckon that you are always feeling thirstier than everyone else around you, get yourself checked out for diabetes.

I agree with this. I put the tap water in a container and then leave it in the fridge. When it's super cold, it tastes fine to me, but when it's fresh from the tap it tastes odd for some reason. But I've also found most of the bottle water here to also taste kinda saltier than what I'm used to.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

They don´t add fluoride.

You have issues with water when it is poluted with nitrates. They have this issue in Mexico and Brasil.
When the water has too much phospate this works as a Epson salts. Water is naturally this way in Java island for example.
To have problems with hard watter it has to have about 550 ppm of Calcium. Over this level calcium precipitates and the stones they mention might happens. Water has this issue in Munich. It i obvious because pavas get white because of calcium.
However, we were talking about water quality in Buenos Aires.
Santa Fe and Cordoba is another storie. They have arsenic in water naturally and this produces HACRE disease.
http://www.alhsud.com/public/articulos/Bocanegra2-Alvarez.pdf
Arsenic in water i a big issue in this country:
http://www.mapaeducativo.edu.ar/images/stories/men/mapa_arsenico.jpg
Regards

 

[erocifeller]

I have consumed the tap water worldwide (for better or worse), and BsAs certainly has good water!

That being said, lately, as in this last week, it seems to taste like more chlorine than usual, perhaps it is just my cistern or barrio. Of course, it is still drinkable (never will I buy bottled water! ... well maybe sometimes in India).




Still, best tap water in the world = Vancouver/Whister corridor!