TODAY'S WORD: l'eau du robinet
: tap water
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Eau du robinet. Peut-on boire l'eau du robinet en France?
Tap water. Can we drink tap water in France?
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE…
Is our water in France safe to drink? (Maybe too safe?)
As I type this report, it feels as though my tongue has been stripped of its taste buds after drinking a glass of water from our kitchen sink. But before causing a national panic–and before this blog disappears from the radar silenced by the powers that be–let me say that, up until 4 days ago, I have always drunk tap water in France!
And yet, I can't help but wonder: are they putting something into our water?
Wait! Before calling me paranoid, or "one of those conspiracy hurluberlus" (true, I have been glued to "prepper" videos, lately, as I stuff our property (our prepper homestead?) with edible plants, trees and "Patriot" blueberries.
Strangely, our tap water did not taste (or smell!) this way before last week's mouse-induced flood, so maybe it's our fault? But I can't picture Jean-Marc, naked in the pigeon hut, pouring cleaner down the water pipe (on second thought where exactly is the water pipe?). Before I start to suspect my husband–as well as The State of France–let's go over the facts. And here are the facts: our tap water tastes like la javel!
As I sit here sucking on my tongue (hoping to get my taste buds to stand up again after being mowed down by municipal water!), I ask myself, Is it simply a coincidence? That just as we recovered from Friday's flood, and repaired the water pipe, the nearest water treatment plant suddenly changed its recipe for tap water? Adding tons of chlore! POW this stuff is strong!!!
Meantime, we are drinking bottled water, and bottling up our tap water to be analyzed in Toulon. As for my poor bleached tongue, I can still enjoy my mother-in-law's just-made tapenade! So maybe taste buds do regenerate?
***
In the comments, below, share your experience with tap water. Do you drink it? Why? Why not? Do you drink l'eau du robinet when in France? Should I buy a filter? Have water delivered? Thanks for sharing all you know about eau.
Update: several of you have recommended the Brita Filter Pitcher and the Big Berkey water filter
FRENCH VOCABULARY
potable = drinkable
un hurluberlu = an eccentric, oddball, extravagant person
la tapenade = green or black olive spread
la javel = bleach
le chlore = chlorine
l'eau du robinet (f) = tap water
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Kristin
We drink the tap water in the Dordogne…however, we always use a Brita water filter. Sometimes, it tastes more like chlorine, sometimes less. When it does, we tend to change the Brita filter.
There is also a good deal of calcaire in the water here, on which the filter doesn’t have any effect. Great for the bones…not so great for the coffee maker. Rather than de-calcaire our coffee maker every month or so, we buy bottled demineralized water from the Carrefour in 5 L bottles for coffee water.
Unless something from your pipes is leaching into your tap water, I suggest asking your mairie if they’ve changed the water cleaning chemicals.
Best of luck.
Ray
I’ve been living here in the Pyrénées for 21 years & always drink the tap water. It is great ,possibly because of the nearness of the mountains ??
We have noticed in other regions the water is very chlorinated, so we’re lucky down here methinks.
Hi Kristi
We have a holiday house in the Arcachon Bassin and always drink the water – it is perfectly clear and tasted ok on our last visit there. Hope our local water supplier hasnt added chlorine too!
Love reading your blog!
Jane
I’m afraid I didn’t find your April fools joke about the The Jetaieu Spectrum funny in the slightest. I will have no faith in your words any longer and my family and i will unsubscribe from your blog. Badly done.
Here in Freiburg we always drink tap water.
A Professor of Hygiene at the local University told us years ago we were stupid to buy tap water. That our water is very pure and very clean. He said all bottled water has residue from the manufacturing process or from cleaning machines if the bottles are made of glass and recycled….
Plastic bottles are killers – they leach phthalates and other toxins into the water.
Our tap water tastes wonderful, no fluorides, no chlorine….Hope it stays that way!!!!!
Hi! I live in Metz and, while I think the water is okay, it often tastes fishy; therefore, I don’t drink it. I drink Evion….which sometimes also has a fish odor haha!
We live in the Charente Maritime and we always drinks the tap water but with a Brita water filter. We have very hard water here and our kettle used to constantly be full of lime scale. I read somewhere that using filtered water in the kettle will solve this problem and indeed it has, the kettle is lime scale free, and I think this really does prove how the Brita water filter does remove chemicals from water.
I’m sorry I can’t comment on the tap water in France at the moment (although I always drink it when holidaying in Provence over the past 10 years). I live in Australia and the taste of the tap water varies depending on where you live. It is all immensely drinkable.
Thank you for an interesting blog. I love it! You make me feel like I am there in your garden.
Joanne
I drink sparkling water most of the time–I like the mineral taste and the bubbles. In France I love Badoit. In the US I drink Pelegrino. I’d be interested to hear what you find in your tap water when it is analyzed! Your poor taste buds!
Bonjour Kristen , this is the first time for me ,I love your blog as it heartens me in my daily challenge of living in France , sometimes bewildering but mostly wonderful.I live in Orléans and happily drink the tap water although it does have a strange taste if left to stand out of the fridge for too long. But your predicament rang bells . I am Australian , but before venturing here we had a problem with hoses for the dishwasher that were reconnected incorrectly and who knows why but our tap water tasted and smelt as you describe your water !Perhaps check if all the new hoses are connected correctly as you may be getting contaminated water instead of the clean water.
Good luck and keep your good work and efforts coming .
Louise
Good morning Kristin
We have a holiday home in Aigues Mortes and had fitted an AquaPura filter fitted to our main water pipe not for taste reasons as the taste was fine but for the calcium in the water which can clog up all water related machines. To date it seems to work perfectly well (it is German made!) We normally live in Scotland where the water if very pure and there is no need for filters of any kind.
Great blog. Hope to get to one of Jean-Marc’s wine tasting events but to date our dates have never matched up. Hopefully later in the year.
Thanks from a very rainy Edinburgh
Here, northwest of Aix, we drink the tap water filtered with a Brita, but also straight up…usually tastes okay.
I’m fascinated with today’s topic on water. I live in Oakville, Canada, on the Great Lakes so we should have great tasting water. Sometimes, it too, tastes strongly of chlorine. When that happens, I call the region and they quickly come to test it. So far it has never been what they consider a problem.
I have a small bed and breakfast and a few years ago I had a guest from France who was also a highly skilled water engineer. She was working on our local water treatment plant, upgrading the facilities. I asked her about our not so delicious tasting water, despite our obviously good supply. She said a great deal depends on how much your region values good tasting water. Of course number one is that it be safe, and sadly (I believe) that is why it occasionally has a strong chlorine taste. I think the best thing to do is make your local officials aware that you have concerns about the chlorine but I would urge everyone to drink tap water. I filter mine through my fridge. Our world simply cannot sustain the outrageous use of plastic water bottles.
I suppose it depends where you live, for the quality of this precious natural element,Water! While visiting a little town in Provence, we drank l’eau du robinet. In Paris, a different story, the water tasted chemically treated, so, we bought bottled water to make coffee
and quench our thirst.
I have always found French tap water just fine; at home in Indiana I do have a filter on the refrigerator water on the door (and ice); it doesn’t taste any different than the tap. Occasionally we have a problem in Indianapolis, IN with algae that grows in the water treatment facilities which makes the water taste fishy. It is a seasonal thing and goes away quickly. Usually I cannot taste or smell the chlorine or fluorine in the water, but I know it is there.
I live just south of Portland, Maine, the largest city in our state. We drink tap water and it is the most wonderful stuff, straight from Sebago Lake just west of us. The only water better is from the mountains here! No nasty aftertaste…….
Kristi – I know that in The States, water companies will often have to pour extra chlorine in the water if there is a great deal of rain, as the systems can become overloaded. In our case, it usually passes quickly…
Ron
Some bottled waters contain sodium which can be a problem for heart patients and others who have to watch their sodium levels. We have always drunk tap water in France and never noticed a chlorine taste. Something new?
The water here in FL smells and tastes of chlorine, so I am glad to hear Brita removes chlorine also – I thought only the particles (as the water is very hard also). I will have to get a Brita! Right now, I usually let the water set for a day before drinking. It could be my imagination, but I think the chlorine dissipates, as there is less of an odor. I hate contributing to the land fills with plastic bottles, though our area finally has bi-weekly curb recycling.
In Chicago, I never had an issue with the water. Apparently one of the top US cities for clean water from Lake Michigan (don’t know the other best areas). NYC water was good, too, but the pipes in my building were old and the water even sometimes looked nasty, so I bought bottled.
Lovely photo of Smoke. Appreciating the comments on how to make our tap water safe and palatable.
Hello K, here in Vaison in Provence we drink our Mont Ventoux tap water – sometimes, yes, it does taste of chlorine…
I always thought you asked for “plaine d’eau” (spelling is wrong! but I mean Plain, Simple water… )
There’s a very chic lady we know who only allows evian to be used in her kettle or coffee machine – probably the reason we don’t!
Interesting piece today..when in France (and here in the States) I always have used tap water, but my French husband never has..He always prefers bottled..wondering if it is my years of swimming in chlorinated pools..
What a pity you have no sense of fun or humour Sad
Thank you! Your comments, ideas, and shared experience are so helpful! I feel much better about our tap water now! I will wait a few days and see if the taste passes. We do not want to use bottled water for all those plastic bottles.
And your encouragements and support is much appreciated. Thank you for reading my blog, for encouraging others too, and for trusting me! I am upset about the comment, further up, that questions my credibility. But instead of losing too much more time over it, I will go plant more blueberries and talk with Smokey.
That’s an excellent idea, Kristi, to go plant blueberries and talk to Smokey rather than wasting any time over the negative comment above.
I have well water at home in Virginia and it’s very good. I always drink the tap water when I’m in France unless it’s coming from a faucet that says “non potable”!
Hi Kristi,
Re: Tap Water,
In Houston, the tap water is terrible as it is in north Texas. The only way it was potable in north Texas was when it was from the
well on our farm. I’ve had the same experience in many places in the US; if water is spring fed, it’s delicious. Otherwise, it tastes of
chemicals even if it is purported to be safe. In Europe, I’ve only been in major cities or at the Black Sea. I always drank bottled water.
We are always told not to drink tap water in many places to which we travel (Mexico, Central America or any third world country). If it smells or tastes bad, don’t drink it. 🙂 Most of my grocery $ is spent on bottled water.
Happy spring to all of you in your beautiful part of the world.
Amicalement toujours,
Micki Simms
Heather, this is very interesting. I live in Markham and have never detected chlorine in our water. We use a Brita filter. I agree that the use of plastic water bottles is outrageous. Our family has become more mindful of the amount of single-use plastic we bring into our home, so plastic water bottles are banned chez nous. My parents are fortunate to live close to a natural spring, from which they obtain delicious water.
Kristin, that comment is just one negative comment among the many supportive ones I have read today and below each of your posts. I know it’s easy to say ‘let it go,’ but of course, I understand how upsetting it is to read something like that. Just remember: we love your words and it looks like the majority of your readers also appreciate your sense of humour. So, enjoy planting those blueberries in your magical garden, alongside your adorable company! We’ll be here.
The water in my building (in NYC) has always been quite good. But last year, a new water tower was installed and for months the water tasted like wood! Not harmful, just obnoxious. All we could do was wait for it to dissipate, which it eventually did. However, even in NYC with its top-rated water, there are isolated times when the water appears cloudy or tastes rubbery and I think it must be originating at the water treatment plant or from the pipes. I once called the Board of Health who came right away to test it, but it tested negative. For me, there is no perfect solution: I won’t use plastic, so no bottled water; Britta may filter minerals but it builds up bacteria. Although I hate to waste water, what seems to work here is to let the water run for a minute. When it turns icy cold, you know the pipe water is gone and what you get is reasonably good water.
Dear Kristi,
I just re-read the April Fool’s blog. You’ve got to be kidding! It’s clever down to the last line. It had me. 🙂
I’m sorry for the unkind comment that you received.
Micki
Did you have some sort of a water tank? The water may normally be sitting there for long enough for the chlorine to evaporate, and with the break and ensuing flood you may be getting the water ‘straight’ for a while.
I was fortunate enough to grow up in New York City, which has the greatest public water system in the world. It was designed and built more than 150 years ago, is powered by gravity, and produces water for over 8 million people which is so clean it needs no treatment. Now I live in Texas, where the water comes from reservoirs that sit under the Texas sun. It is drinkable but unpleasant, so we use bottled water (5 gallon bottles) for drinking and cooking for the most part.
We will be in Aix-en-Provence next month, for the second time. Have not experienced any problems with the water there.
Here are my “deux Sous”
I have had health problems for years set off by undiagnosed Lyme. My integrative doctor told me this:”BEWARE OF THE -IDES”
Fluoride….Chloride….Bromide
They majorly interfere with your THYROID function.
Two out of three of these are added to our water here in Green Bay, Wis. (bromide is found in products using flour)
So, I always use bottled spring water. Once a month I go “fetch water” at the dollar store. A buck a gallon and it tastes great.
Hi Kristi,
We have well water with a multi filter system on it (because of iron and other undesirable chemicals) and it is the best water. Yes, that changes the water, but we need to do this for our pipes and appliances. When we go to town/ city water we can taste the chlorine in it and then drink sparkling bottled water.
I drink the tap water in France but my husband prefers bottled water – to each his/her own. I don’t worry about the water in Europe. While in Paris we drink tap water at our friend’s place.
Kathleen
Have spent time all over the world, Living and working in Hawaii, all over the states, Australia, Hong Kong, Italy, France, Austria, 15 years in Mexico and have always used water from the tap. When we lived on our boat, we would add 1 cap full of chlorine per 50 gallons. Have never had a problem. A Brita Filter is great if they up the use of chlorine periodically, and makes one feel better, I guess. I do not drink water that I can’t see through, can chew, or has odd things floating in it, or has a strange odor, however.
Bon Jour! In our small village, near Bordeaux, we always drink the water. But the water department doesn’t always communicate well. We arrived once, on a Friday, dry pipes. We had had trouble with auto pay on our bill, so thought it might be that. Mais! Three day weekend! But the water was only off for an hour, which we didn’t discover until Monday! Perhaps your new pipe has to be flushed? A sample dispatched to Department de l’eau?
When we lived in the environs de Paris, we drank bottled water and /or used a Brita filter. When we first moved there, I had a bad reaction to the bath water in the tub and shower. After receiving medicine and salves and changing some things, I don’t recall that I was ever bothered by the rash symptoms anymore. But we always used bottled water and the Brita for drinking.
I use a counter top gravity filter called a Big Berkey and it takes all the chlorine flavor & smell away — as well as lots of bad stuff! Simple, effective, inexpensive — an no plastic bottles to dispose of!
Kristin, just wanted to say i LOVED the April Fools post. Anyone who has followed you for an extended period of time knows there’s going to be a juicy, clever, inspired posting on April Fools Day. And you have gotten so good at it! Isn’t it funny (pun intended, i guess) how serious people can be about humor. I think when people react violently to humor it may have touched some point of discomfort within themselves. Sure, every ‘joke’ isn’t funny to all — but that doesn’t mean we should stop looking for and expressing humor. Every painting isn’t beautiful to everyone — but that doesn’t mean anyone should stop painting. Not everyone gets every poem — but please, poets, never stop writing them. Again I am reminded “Accept what you can. And with the breath of love, blow the rest away.”
(Perhaps that negative comment was a belated April Fools joke!)
Thank you, Gwyn, and Katia, and all who help give perspective when negative comments come in, as they will.
I, too, thought the comment was a delayed April Fools joke, until the commenter left a second note in my inbox.
Love your reminder:
Accept what you can. And with the breath of love, blow the rest away.
Kristin, I drink tap water in Lake Charles, Louisiana; some do not; and, occasionally we get a taste of Chlorine. Amicalment, Vivian
Initially, I thought your comment was itself an April Fools’ joke- albeit a belated and bewildering one.
A response of this nature seems bizarre and completely out of proportion (démesurée en français) to what was an innocent, good-natured posting by the author of this blog who consistently entertains and educates a widely-appreciative audience.
Even if you disagreed with the premise or the amusement quotient of Kristi’s April 1st posting- just one single posting among all of the many stories she has written during the past 10 or more years- how would that disagreement compromise your “faith” in her words?
Better to save such a criticism for some of our Presidential candidates and politicians…
Hi Kristin,
I’m not commenting on your water, but the picture of your mother in laws tapenade looks delicious! Do you think she would share her recipe?
Spent three weeks in your beautiful country last fall and are returning in 2017. Wish we could stay there forever!
Barbara in Northern California
Very interesting!
Thank you, Trish!
I also did. I doubt Kristi wants or certainly doesn’t need people like that in her blog.
Dear Kristi,
Woe to those who have no sense of humor or take themselves too seriously. Thank you for the laughter you bring to us. It has worked its magic many times over!
Where I live in Sainte Anne Saint Priest, Dept 87, the water is definitely not drinkable. There is a government web site which gives a report on water quality for every commune. Our report tells of corrosive water which is basically acidic, it dissolves the copper pipes and leaves a blue residue on sinks, shower trays etc. It’s caused by nitrates in the water, presumably due to the stuff the farmers put on the land around the catchment area. No amount of filtering will remove this, it needs chemical treatment to neutralize it. We don’t use it for food, and certainly don’t drink it, we drink bottled water. The water supply is private, that’s the problem, it’s the responsibility of the commune, the mayor’s chappie mends all the leaks does any other maintenance on the system. This makes the water bills cheaper, but for us this is offset by our 250 Euro annual spend on bottled water.
The bottled water can have it’s own problems, if you read the contents on the labels there can be all sorts of mineral content, which furs up kettles no end. Super U sell one which is sourced from the Auvergne which doesn’t clog the kettle and seems to have the least mineral content, which is our preferred tipple.
I always drink the tap water in France. In Switzerland I even drank the water out of streams high in the alps and from the spout that filled the cow’s troughs. I think J-M is the culprit. Here in California it depends where you are…..in my village, yes. Over the hill, 3 miles away …no thanks. And after reading the “negative” comment all I can say is that it is sad some people just have no sense of humor. Sad life.
I think familiseverything2006@gmail.com may think twice before signing in with an e-mail address.
Kristin, We use a Brita filter in Carmel, California. We use tap water
when cooking oatmeal because the water is boiled. I drink bottled
water, but did not réalise how the plastic contaminates the water.
Our tap water is very hard; lime and calcium build up can be a problem. The water tastes OK to me. It occasionally looks cloudy
So I call the local water company, CalAm. They clair it is larigot to
drink, but I open the bottled water instead. Joanne
We live near Vancouver, Canada. We always drink the tap water in France. Have never suffered in any way. Flavour of water wherever we travel (USA, other areas of Canada etc) is always a little different than what our family calls “home-water”. Safety and quality is always good in France. And think of the money you save!