Ok, you win. Germans are infallible and there have never been issues with tap water.
> Here privatization begins at the location where the water pipe enters the building.
As far as I am aware, the same is true in Flint. I do not understand the distinction you are drawing.
Additionally, your Wikipedia link is obviously not an exhaustive list of "water crises" nor does it offer any insight into whether lead in tap water has been an issue in Europe.
I think lots of houses in Europe have lead in the tap water though... Because they are old and changing the pipes in the building costs a lot.
I took a measurement in a downtown Budapest flat we rented and it came back 10x the limit. The water had no odor, discolor or taste.
+1 for this - Germany has excellent tap water pretty much everywhere. Water supply is a public service, and an extremely high quality standard is mandated by law. I can't vouch for all neighboring countries and Scandinavia, but from my travel experience, their tap water is at least very good, if not the same quality or even better.
As do some places in the U.S. and many people do fear that their water while technically potable, is full of unhealthy materials like lead. Even for me in a relatively new building, I have no idea about the materials of the lines built into it or the water main in my city. I use a Brita or straight from the tap personally but I can't say I blame people who are concerned (in the U.S.) where infrastructure is quite old and there doesn't seem to be much concern by officials even in the most dire of cases like Flint to fix things.
How does this compare to the EU? It's one thing for tap water to not be perfect, it's quite another for it to be as bad as Flint, MI. What's the true distribution here?
Making people unreasonably afraid of tap water just seems irresponsible.
Germany has mineral water and table water. Table water is the bottled tap water.
Though where I live, even table water would be better than unfiltered tap water. Not because of health concerns (I actually had my tap water lab tested as the building is from the 60s), but because of limescale in the kettle and disgust on my tastebuds ;)
Sure, but it's not a uniquely American thing. Lots of people in Germany buy bottled water to drink at home, and Germany's tap water is perfectly fine, under constant quality control, there are countless rules against pollution, tap water has to comply with stricter regulations than bottled water and therefore often is of higher quality etc etc, and has been for decades. Still, people buy bottled water.
The entire city of pittsburg has ongoing lead in tapwater scandals. To a lesser extant so has the entire state of Milwaukee.
That is already millions, but...
Flint still has problems. Brady Texas has radium, Washington DC has intermittently had Lead. It is entirely on well owners to test and maintain their own water. New Jersey leads the country in BPA in water, some of which is safe, but the advice is to check with each municipality if it is safe....
And so on for all kinds of places and reasons. We just don't take tap water seriously as a country even though it wouldn't be a hard problem for us to solve.
I think the issue is that residents of Flint cannot possibly drink water from their pipes that is clean. The low levels could be explained by people being required to drink bottled water (which presumably does not have any lead in it).
Tap-water is very much a hit-or-miss here in Germany. In some cities (like Berlin) it's almost hazardous, while in other cities it's very drinkable. The tubes the water passes also make a big difference (there are still lot's of lead tubes lying around in old houses).
We got our-self a home reverse-osmosis filter system that clears water of most particles and drink very clean water with abandon (~1 ppm non-water particles). It's really a luxury worth having, especially with kinds. Plus, no carrying around bottled water.
And no, the lack of minerals in the water did not kill any of us.. that's a fable. In fact, your body will only absorb minerals from water it if it can't get it from other food sources that have them in a more optimal chemical bounding.
If I travel to Europe, how do I know if the local knows the water is safe to drink?
Unless you're in Flint, or a paranoiac, tap water in the US is safe. Period.
Flint's problem is not endemic, it was isolated. The article is really reaching - they cite 3 instances over ~15 years of problems in city water supplies. In 2 of the 3 cases it was caught and rectified quickly - Flint is the exception.
As a German I find that to be a pretty wild generalization, especially comparing it to the US where tap water quality varies massively (Oregon vs say Michigan (Flint...)). German tap water tends to be quite good. I live in Berlin, where tap water is excellent (albeit with a lot of minerals/calcium). The vast majority of people I know drink tap water, sometimes filtered, sometimes with CO2 added, but tap water nontheless.
Most tap water in Germany is "recycled" water. I think this goes for most of Europe?
Drinking tap water and adding your on carbonate is even a thing here (German use the word as synonym for carbonated water).
"If anything, recycled wastewater is relatively sweet" - Said no tap water drinker ever
There are still worlds between the US and Europe..
I wouldn't trust the water in any industrialized country unless I could see the reports. Especially city tap water. Mountain resort or any rural area without industrial farming is probably a safe bet. Germany possibly gets it right.
I've lived in a few places in Berlin over the years, I've never seen anything but nice clear water come out of the tap (whether at my place or friend's flats). Granted, it's hard water (lots of calcium) but other than that it's perfectly fine. Pipes as bad as you're describing definitely exist but I'd say they're the exception, not the rule.
The water company here says that it's unfair to compare the tap water with bottled mineral water; the tap water is substantially better.
(I had a tour of the plant. They are a serious group of overachievers. The source of the water is mostly the local lake, and is purified by, two grades of sand filter, activated charcoal, ozone purification, and a bacterial bed. They actively manage the biofilms in the water pipes; the water itself is so clean that chlorination is unnecessary. They also actively manage the local aquifers so that the underground water flow near any industrial site flows away from their collection wells. There are two separate distribution networks, one for emergencies, plus a warehouse full of bagged water ready for distribution. And, best of all, it tastes great.)
> Here privatization begins at the location where the water pipe enters the building.
As far as I am aware, the same is true in Flint. I do not understand the distinction you are drawing.
Additionally, your Wikipedia link is obviously not an exhaustive list of "water crises" nor does it offer any insight into whether lead in tap water has been an issue in Europe.
From an initial search, here's evidence to the contrary. Ctrl+F "Germany": https://www.zerowater.eu/zerowater-knowledge-center/lead-in-...
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