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Forum Question Posted By: Replies:
Barcelona
RE: The water
Posted: Fri July 30, 2004 06:47 AM UTC
Hi, Hopefully don't offend anybody with this question :)

I keep on reading that you should not drink the water in Barcelona. I am inclined to ignore this as scare mongering and so on... but should I? Is there really anything to it? Is it OK to drink the tap water in Barcelona?

Thank you :)

Best Regards
Martin
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 Light_of_the_moon 6 replies

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Barcelona
Re: RE: The water
Posted: Fri July 30, 2004 07:28 AM UTC
When I was in Barcelona, in 1992, the water had a off taste, but then that could be because it was not the same cholrinated and florinated water of my home town, the water I am used to drinking. I say, try the water, if you don't like it, then buy the bottled water. Sometimes, as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention.....some stomachs react to changes in content.

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Barcelona
Re: Re: RE: The water
Posted: Fri July 30, 2004 08:20 AM UTC
Just ignore the tip; absolutely unreasonable. All water in all cities of Spain is perfectly drinkable. It could taste better or worse, but pretty safe.

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Barcelona
Re: RE: The water
Posted: Fri July 30, 2004 08:30 AM UTC
It is true that the tap water sometimes has a slightly unpleasant taste - chlorination is to blame. The local Water Board advises leaving drinking water to stand for 20 minutes in a ewer to allow time for the chlorine to evaporate.

However, taste apart, of greater concern is the fact that the European Commission has fined the Catalan Government for the very high nitrate levels found in tapwater. These are due to bad farming practices (excessive fertilizer use) and the local custom of dumping massive quantities of pig slurry near (or in!) water courses. Until we Catalans mend our ways, I recommend you stick to the bottled water like the rest of us.

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Barcelona
Re: Re: RE: The water
Posted: Fri July 30, 2004 10:35 AM UTC
I would recommend you NOT to drink tap water (I guess that means from public fountains and that) IF you were from a p lace with a very different water treatment standards.

But seeing you're from London, europe, the water treatment standards are more or less the same, and so it's still perfectly drinkable. When I was in germany, as I couldn't find water without gas, I kept dringing water from street fountains all the time.

Another matter is the taste, it's definitely not Evian, but it's free-use, and if you have one in hand and no other water available, then dont' worry drinking.

It's simply a question of taste.

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Barcelona
Re: RE: The water
Posted: Fri July 30, 2004 06:24 PM UTC
I found nothing wrong with the tap water in Barcelona - however, you'll also find that bottled drinking water is dirt cheap, at least as compared to the UK or the states - generally around 70 cents for a 1/1.5 litres.

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Barcelona
The water
Posted: Fri July 30, 2004 07:25 PM UTC
There's no problem at all about drinking from the tap. The water we have at our homes comes from a very tight sanity and quality control.

That's true, depending on which cleaning istalation the water comes from it may have a strongest flavour. In case you don't like the water from the tap, there are many companies that sell bottled water that one can find in any supermarket.

1.5L can be purchased from 0.5 euros -or even less. I can reccommend you some marks: Font Vella, Lanjarón, Solan de Cabras, Viladrau, Verí,...

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