What if you could join in the Silicon Valley\u2019s latest Raw Water<\/em> craze, at a fraction of the price (we\u2019re talking pennies!), from the comfort of your home, without having to worry about bacterias?<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s actually possible and very easy! The Tuolumne River, which is naturally low in sediments and nutrients, feeds most of San Francisco with clean, great tasting water. That\u2019s actually where most of your overpriced \u201cNatural<\/em>\u201d or \u201cRaw<\/em>\u201d water comes from in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n In the process of distributing San Francisco tap water, it is disinfected (Yes, that\u2019s good, no one likes diarrhea!) and it picks up a few contaminants along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n Using a filter such as TAPP<\/a>, will remove any undesired smell, taste, chlorine and lead added as the result of the distribution, while keeping the healthy mineral, leaving you with clean, healthy water.<\/span><\/p>\n As much as 85% of tap water flowing into San Francisco and other Bay Area regions comes from the Tuolumne River which feeds the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water Reservoir located inside Yosemite National Park, while the rest comes from local surface reservoirs and groundwater. <\/span><\/p>\n San Franciscan\u2019s beloved Hetch Hetchy water is so clean, that San Francisco is one of few municipalities not required by law to filter its water (although it is disinfected by ozonation and UV exposure). Where the quality degrades, is when the city blends Hetch Hetchy water with water from other sources. Add to that the local distribution network which uses chloramine as a disinfectant, and aging pipes inside buildings, and the result can sometimes taste different to what you would expect from such a crystal clear river as the Tuolumne River.<\/span><\/p>\n In the U.S, tap water is regulated by the EPA (<\/span>Environmental Protection Agency<\/span><\/i>), while bottled water which is a packaged good, is regulated by the FDA. Although both the EPA and FDA have similar quality standards, FDA standards are looser in terms of how often bottled water needs to be tested and they do not require companies to share their test results with consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n Conclusion: If you want to know the exact composition of your water – it\u2019s a no-brainer – you should switch to tap water right away. <\/strong><\/p>\n EPA guidelines are strict but EWG (Environmental Working Group) – a nonprofit organization, have set their own, tougher guidelines which they call: <\/span>health guidelines<\/span><\/i>. Visit the <\/span>EWG<\/span><\/a> website for the detailed list of contaminants in your zip code area. <\/span><\/p>\n According to the EWG report, 3 cancerogenous contaminants above health guidelines were found in \u201cSan Francisco Regional Water System\u201d water. All are below the legal limit set by the EPA but it\u2019s naturally cause for some concern. The contaminants are Chromium 6, Radiological contaminants and TTHMs. All considerably below the EPA guidelines, so any reduction is positive but not necessary. Moreover, according to water research by OrbMedia microplastics<\/a> were found in 94% of all tap water in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n In summary, San Francisco tap water is still legally safe to drink but to be on the safe side, an active carbon filter such as TAPP could be used. TAPP\u00a0<\/span>removes TTHMs and reduces Chromium 6 by 40-70%<\/b>. To remove Chromium 6 almost entirely then activated carbon should be combined with a reverse osmosis or Ion Exchange filter. TAPP will also <\/span>remove chloramine, microplastics\u00a0<\/b>and other agents associated with <\/span>foul taste and odor<\/b>, microplastics<\/strong>, as well as <\/span>lead and other heavy metals<\/b> which can deposit via poorly maintained pipes in your building.<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, there is no law requiring restaurants to serve their customers tap water for free, most do it as a courtesy. As a matter of fact, as California is a drought-stricken state and is under water restrictions, in some cases it might be illegal for them to serve you water unless you specifically ask for it.<\/span><\/p>\n With that said, drinking tap water at a bar or restaurant in San Francisco has never been so easy. Not only is the public perception of water good, a growing number of restaurants now display a \u201cWe proudly serve tap water\u201d signs, and 5 Bay Area universities including Berkley have implemented bans on bottled water.<\/span><\/p>\n For when you are out and about in the City, the SFWPS (<\/span>SF Water Power Sewer)<\/span><\/i> have installed over 100 lead-free \u201ctap stations\u201d in the public realm and in schools. Take a reusable water bottle with you, and fill it up at one the <\/span>stations<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Alternatively, you can use the MyTAPP app (iOS and Android) to find refill stations around you<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aquafina, Dasani, Evian, Fiji, Mountain Valley, Pure Life, and Smartwater are some of the most popular bottled waters. But don\u2019t be fooled, the NRDC (<\/span>Natural Resources Defense Council<\/span><\/i>) concluded that an estimated 25 percent or more of bottled water is just filtered water from public supplies, at a premium price.<\/span><\/p>\n Good news is that California leads the way in terms of beverage container recycling rates! While the recycling rate of beverage containers peaked at a whopping 85% in 2013, unfortunately only 78% of PET water bottles were recycled.<\/span><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t want your plastic bottle to end up in a landfill or in the ocean, carry a reusable water bottle with you. If you must buy a plastic bottle (or any other beverage container) look for \u201cCA CASH REFUND\u201d or \u201cCA CRV\u201d on the label. Bringing it to a <\/span>recycling center<\/span><\/a> could earn \u00a25 to \u00a210 per container.<\/span><\/p>\n Using a filter like TAPP<\/a>, you will never need to use any plastic linked with your water consumption. When it\u2019s time to change the filter, dispose of its biodegradable refill cartridge with organic waste.<\/span><\/p>\n Do you drink tap water in San Francisco and the Bay Area? We want your feedback and opinion. Agree or disagree? Tell us!<\/span><\/p>\n Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n What if you could join in the Silicon Valley\u2019s latest Raw Water craze, at a fraction of the price (we\u2019re talking pennies!), from the comfort of your home, without having to worry about bacterias? That\u2019s actually possible and very easy! The Tuolumne River, which is naturally low in sediments and nutrients, feeds most of San […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":187847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91,3991],"tags":[3992,4191,3969,3971,4192,4108,3752,3972,732,3973,4193,3995,3974,3975,3976,3977,3996,4194,3981,625,3982,4195,832,3983,3984,3985,3986,4196,4197,4198,4199,4200,295,126,3989,3990,4201,4000,4001,4002,338,4202],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backup.tappwater.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187965"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backup.tappwater.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backup.tappwater.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backup.tappwater.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backup.tappwater.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/backup.tappwater.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backup.tappwater.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backup.tappwater.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backup.tappwater.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backup.tappwater.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Where does San Francisco tap water come from?<\/span><\/h1>\n
What is in San Francisco tap water and who regulates it?<\/span><\/h1>\n
Drinking water in public places and restaurants<\/span><\/h1>\n
Bottled water<\/span><\/h1>\n
Conclusion<\/span><\/h1>\n
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