Irish water not Irish Water

filbert the fox

i sit in a well known coffee franchise in the mornings attached to a small busy supermarket.
I've noticed that a lot of customers buy bottled water - even some of the staff.

Now there are plenty of reasons to do this but one thing has come to my attention recently from talking to people who are generally from abroad.

They have something in their heads that the tap water can't be trusted. i even heard recently that a Lithuanian girl living here was boiling all of her drinking water.

The environmental impact of plastic waste is well documented.

We simply don't need to add to it.
There is a simple solution to this .

It's called information.

The water we consume has been through many treatment processes to get it to our taps. You can trust it.

mickdw

filbert the fox wrote: »

i sit in a well known coffee franchise in the mornings attached to a small busy supermarket.
I've noticed that a lot of customers buy bottled water - even some of the staff.

Now there are plenty of reasons to do this but one thing has come to my attention recently from talking to people who are generally from abroad.

They have something in their heads that the tap water can't be trusted. i even heard recently that a Lithuanian girl living here was boiling all of her drinking water.

The environmental impact of plastic waste is well documented.

We simply don't need to add to it.
There is a simple solution to this .

It's called information.

The water we consume has been through many treatment processes to get it to our taps. You can trust it.

It is lunacy to buy bottled water.
People happily pay 2 quid for a small bottle yet were out protesting when asked to pay a tiny fee for household water. I'd wager that many of the water protestor spend more needlessly on bottled water yearly than would pay the It's water bill.

Del.Monte

I haven't trusted tap water for some years now - but being lazy still use it for coffee and tea. When I have my children with me it's bottled water all the way. All the plastic bottles are a problem but do go to the recycling centre. I'm in a Victorian building and don't trust the ancient piping or the County Council's water treatment facility. Is there a reason why I should?

mickdw

Its a number of years since i went to college but i did study all aspects of water and wastewater treatment and distribution. At that time, we were reliably informed that public supply here in ireland was required to meet higher standards than the bottled suppliers.

Del.Monte

mickdw wrote: »

Its a number of years since i went to college but i did study all aspects of water and wastewater treatment and distribution. At that time, we were reliably informed that public supply here in ireland was required to meet higher standards than the bottled suppliers.

I'm afraid 'reliably informed' doesn't cut it with me. The country's coming down with experts, regulators etc. and look where we are today.

mickdw

Id advise you do your own research.
At the time I could have told you exactly why the public supply was safer but cant remember now.
I have a Civil Engineering degree which as i say specialised in such matters and I have never bought bottled water.
I have visited treatment plants etc and I happily drink the tap water.

august12

Del.Monte wrote:

I haven't trusted tap water for some years now - but being lazy still use it for coffee and tea. When I have my children with me it's bottled water all the way. All the plastic bottles are a problem but do go to the recycling centre. I'm in a Victorian building and don't trust the ancient piping or the County Council's water treatment facility. Is there a reason why I should?

Well the council water is tested regularly under 2014 drinking water regulations, you can access the results in the water.ie website, using their map function. So yes, I would say, you can trust the council water supply, and if you have a concern, you can log a call with Irish Water and the supply coming from your kitchen tap will be tested, so this should re assure you.

Blacktie.

Del.Monte wrote:

I haven't trusted tap water for some years now - but being lazy still use it for coffee and tea. When I have my children with me it's bottled water all the way. All the plastic bottles are a problem but do go to the recycling centre. I'm in a Victorian building and don't trust the ancient piping or the County Council's water treatment facility. Is there a reason why I should?

What's not to trust? If there was something wrong we'd have a pretty large scale epidemic pretty quickly.

Del.Monte

Blacktie. wrote: »

What's not to trust? If there was something wrong we'd have a pretty large scale epidemic pretty quickly.

From lead pipes?

august12

Are Am Eye wrote:

In the same way that Drogheda is a Dublin suburb. And C arrick Macross. Belfast too. And Reykjavik.

Del.Monte wrote:

From lead pipes?

Well get your water tested if you have a concern about lead, it's quite simple, or keep drinking the water and giving out about it here

Del.Monte

august12 wrote: »

Well get your water tested if you have a concern about lead, it's quite simple, or keep drinking the water and giving out about it here

I'm not giving out about it - just replied to the thread - I am past giving out about things in this country because nothing changes. That, of course, is what those in authority want - wear you down and you'll go away. In my case they have largely succeeded.

tedpan

I only drink bottled water. The tap water is not good, I wouldn't even use it for tea or coffee. It's difficult to trust many things these days, but why would I trust a government lead company that supplies weird chlorine tasting water?

lawred2

tedpan wrote: »

I only drink bottled water. The tap water is not good, I wouldn't even use it for tea or coffee. It's difficult to trust many things these days, but why would I trust a government lead company that supplies weird chlorine tasting water?

And do you know where bottled water comes from?

tedpan

lawred2 wrote:

And do you know where bottled water comes from?

Supposedly from the spring's source as advertised. I'm guessing you know.

Skatedude

But I've never seen a boil notice warning for bottled water where you do for tap water such as cork, Kildare, Tipperary and Roscommon, and that's just the ones for the last year. Pretty sure there are more.

lawred2

tedpan wrote: »

Supposedly from the spring's source as advertised. I'm guessing you know.

Source can mean anything.

The likes of river rock is nothing but tap water through a filter.

tedpan

lawred2 wrote:

The likes of river rock is nothing but tap water through a filter.

The likes of river rock? That's not spring water, that's coca cola tap water as everyone knows. The same as ballygowan these days..

I only buy mineral water that's sourced from a spring.

McGiver

mickdw wrote: »

Its a number of years since i went to college but i did study all aspects of water and wastewater treatment and distribution. At that time, we were reliably informed that public supply here in ireland was required to meet higher standards than the bottled suppliers.

Municipal tap water contains fluoride for starters, separate issue, but in the dosage they pump it in it it's not healthy, so that's an issue. Also, for example here in Galway, the tap water has issues with high THM (trihalomethanes) which are byproduct of water treatment if the water contains lots of organic materials. THMs are carcinogenic. I can see the value in my tap is about 50 and that is too high.
Then you have occasional microbiological contamination but that's usually isolated to small areas.

Now, given all that the most economical and environmentally friendly solution is to buy a decent water filter. The best one:
https://www.berkey-waterfilters.co.uk

Yes, you need to invest, but then you get the cleanest possible water at cost much lower than buying bottled, which has its issues - plastic waste, chemicals leaching from the plastic (real concern), unknown quality of the water, and relatively high costs.

filbert the fox

Quick update, a recently arrived work colleague of eastern european extraction doesn't drink the tap water here. When asked why I got an answer which I didn't expect......."I live in Stamullen and it doesn't taste nice". Well that's something else which really should be addressed if we want to discourage unsustainable use of plastic bottles/packaging.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/28/a-million-a-minute-worlds-plastic-bottle-binge-as-dangerous-as-climate-change

EndaHonesty

tedpan wrote: »

The likes of river rock? That's not spring water, that's coca cola tap water as everyone knows. The same as ballygowan these days..

I only buy mineral water that's sourced from a spring.

Ballygowan is a "Natural Mineral Water", one of only 2 recognised officially in Ireland.

https://www.fsai.ie/faq/bottled_water.html

The title "Natural Mineral Water" is for real natural water from an actual natural source.

The title "Spring Water" can be simple tap water that's just bottled.

fantastic98

what I'm wondering is how much time passes before Irish water comes out to do a job. like breaking a shared water pipe to give a direct supply.

Ben D Bus

mickdw wrote: »

Id advise you do your own research.

Unfortunately what passes for doing ones own research these days usually amounts to reading a couple of blog posts that support the view the reader has already come to.

Water, vaccinations, chemtrails, you name it.

Capt'n Midnight

It's quite legal to bottle tap water and sell it.
You just can't call it "natural mineral water" or "Spring Water"
https://www.fsai.ie/faq/bottled_water.html

Perrier was the water brand until 1990 when benzene (as in petrol) was found in some bottles. The recall cost $250m , within 18 months share price had fallen buy a third and Nestle took them over.

Here and in the UK Coca Cola sell "Deep River Rock"
They used to sell "Desani" but screwed up with bromates, an epic fail when consider they were essentially bottling tap water.


IIRC there is a wider variety of tests on tap water than on bottled water.

tedpan

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Here and in the UK Coca Cola sell "Deep River Rock" They used to sell "Desani" but screwed up with bromates, an epic fail when consider they were essentially bottling tap water.

Desani and deep River rock are not branded as spring or mineral water though, similar to ballygowan after britvic took them over

filbert the fox

tedpan wrote: »

Desani and deep River rock are not branded as spring or mineral water though, similar to ballygowan after britvic took them over

This is all terribly interesting for some but the point is that for the hard pressed, two job, eastern european renter, the additional costs of buying bottled water are in most cases unnecessary.

Pass it on.;)

EndaHonesty

tedpan wrote: »

Desani and deep River rock are not branded as spring or mineral water though, similar to ballygowan after britvic took them over

Ballygowan is branded and officially certified as Natural Mineral Water.

tedpan

EndaHonesty wrote:

Ballygowan is branded and officially certified as Natural Mineral Water.

Check your facts. That was years ago...

It's branded as "Irish Still water"

EndaHonesty

tedpan wrote: »

Check your facts. That was years ago...

It's branded as "Irish Still water"

I've checked my facts, you obviously have not checked yours...

Their website;

Ballygowan is a leading Irish natural mineral water brand available in the UK and Ireland, sourced deep underground from the town of Newcastle West, Co. Limerick.

http://www.britvic.com/our-brands/brands-a-z/ballygowan

Food Safety Authority of Ireland website

Q. Are there any Irish natural mineral waters?

Yes. There are two recognised Irish natural mineral waters. To be recognised as a natural mineral water, the water and source must be assessed. In Ireland, the responsible authority for assessing and declaring a water to be a natural mineral water is the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).

1. Glenpatrick Glenpatrick Spring Powerstown , Clonmel, County Tipperary
2. Ballygowan Ballygowan Newcastle West, Co. Limerick

https://www.fsai.ie/faq/bottled_water.html

Have you some "facts" to contradict these?... :rolleyes:

tedpan

EndaHonesty wrote: »

I've checked my facts, you obviously have not checked yours...

Their website;



http://www.britvic.com/our-brands/brands-a-z/ballygowan

Food Safety Authority of Ireland website



https://www.fsai.ie/faq/bottled_water.html

Have you some "facts" to contradict these?... :rolleyes:

Yes, that's the britvic site, probably hasn't been updated...

Read the ballygowan statement below or look at a bottle in a shop..

Ballygowan Brand

Welcome to the Ballygowan website! Ballygowan the Original Bottled Irish Still Water. As Ireland's original water brand, Ballygowan has a proud reputation for quality and innovation with a heritage that extends for over three decades with many award-winning advertising campaigns and partnerships.

https://www.ballygowan.ie/

EndaHonesty

tedpan wrote: »

Yes, that's the britvic site, probably hasn't been updated...

Read the ballygowan statement below or look at a bottle in a shop..

Ballygowan Brand

Welcome to the Ballygowan website! Ballygowan the Original Bottled Irish Still Water. As Ireland's original water brand, Ballygowan has a proud reputation for quality and innovation with a heritage that extends for over three decades with many award-winning advertising campaigns and partnerships.

https://www.ballygowan.ie/

Lol your comprehension isn't the best is it? Ballygowan was branded as spring water BEFORE Britvic bought it...

You need to look at the bottles again.

filbert the fox

my initial thread was to consider that we did not necessarily need bottled water - not to advertise it...

tedpan

EndaHonesty wrote: »

Lol your comprehension isn't the best is it? Ballygowan was branded as spring water BEFORE Britvic bought it...

You need to look at the bottles again.

Again, an old pic.. there's no point in arguing, I had a look at a bottle a few weeks ago. Anyway here's a supplier who currently sells the tap water.

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Ballygowan-Still-Water/282412011

EndaHonesty

filbert the fox wrote: »

my initial thread was to consider that we did not necessarily need bottled water - not to advertise it...

I drink bottled mineral water because I don't want to drink tap water.

I do business with a company that sells water treatment chemicals to state bodies.
The owner of that company doesn't drink tap water because he knows what goes into it.

I also don't want to drink water with added fluoride.

EndaHonesty

tedpan wrote: »

Again, an old pic.. there's no point in arguing, I had a look at a bottle a few weeks ago. Anyway here's a supplier who currently sells the tap water.

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Ballygowan-Still-Water/282412011

You trust some random retail website over the parent company's website?!!

Lol, you are 100% wrong.

I just went into the shop next to me and every Ballygowan bottle is branded Natural Mineral Water.

Britvic launched Ballygowan Natural Mineral Water in the UK in 2014

http://www.shelflife.ie/britvic-announces-gb-launch-of-ballygowan-natural-mineral-water/

From the book "Springs and Bottled Waters of the World: Ancient History, Source, Occurrence, Quality and Use"

"Ballygowan was recognised as a Natural Mineral Water by the EC in 1988 under Directive 80/777/EC."

https://books.google.ie/books?id=sjEoBmfUka0C&pg=PA284&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

You are wrong.

Resverathrole

mickdw wrote: »

It is lunacy to buy bottled water.
People happily pay 2 quid for a small bottle yet were out protesting when asked to pay a tiny fee for household water. I'd wager that many of the water protestor spend more needlessly on bottled water yearly than would pay the It's water bill.

I'd wager that water protesters are mainly dole drawers, and due to likely being uneducated, are not concerned about any effects from chlorine, fluorine, or lead.

Resverathrole

Del.Monte wrote: »

and don't trust the County Council's water treatment facility.

Well now that Irish water doesn't have a revenue stream, that's all the more reason not to trust it.

Resverathrole

mickdw wrote: »

i did study all aspects of water and wastewater treatment

Of the two, it will be wastewater that'll be the first to be sacrificed... now that Irish water doesn't have a steady revenue stream.

Resverathrole

Blacktie. wrote: »

What's not to trust? If there was something wrong we'd have a pretty large scale epidemic pretty quickly.

Well in the 1950s I could have said "Is there something wrong with smoking? If there was, we'd have a large scale epidemic pretty quickly"

august12

Resverathrole wrote:

Of the two, it will be wastewater that'll be the first to be sacrificed... now that Irish water doesn't have a steady revenue stream.

I don't think IW is short of a revenue stream, it has commercial water charges and rumoured that property tax has been diverted to fund it, and that would not surprise me in the least.

michael345

I can recommend installing a water filter/filters - have one for like 5 years now - and water tastes almost like spring water - people who use to bring their own spring water in bottles from their homes have stopped doing it - thanks to that filter, which also gets rid of fluoride(might test it one day to see if it really does it completely) and it costs around 130e, and filters are changed every 6monts or so.

Blacktie.

Resverathrole wrote: »

Well in the 1950s I could have said "Is there something wrong with smoking? If there was, we'd have a large scale epidemic pretty quickly"

Are you kidding me? We did have a large scale epidemic pretty quickly. That's exactly how we found out it's awful.

I can recommend installing a water filter/filters - have one for like 5 years now - and water tastes almost like spring water - people who use to bring their own spring water in bottles from their homes have stopped doing it - thanks to that filter, which also gets rid of fluoride(might test it one day to see if it really does it completely) and it costs around 130e, and filters are changed every 6monts or so.

Does it also remove hardness by any chance?

Resverathrole

tedpan wrote: »

Again, an old pic.. there's no point in arguing, I had a look at a bottle a few weeks ago. Anyway here's a supplier who currently sells the tap water.

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Ballygowan-Still-Water/282412011

I'm just looking at my ballygowan bottle right now, and it appears identical to that in the pic.

michael345

Blacktie. wrote: »

Are you kidding me? We did have a large scale epidemic pretty quickly. That's exactly how we found out it's awful.



Does it also remove hardness by any chance?

well it feels way softer and I often wash my face with it - I'm considering to get another set and install it for the tank that provides water to showers

oceanman

Resverathrole wrote: »

I'd wager that water protesters are mainly dole drawers, and due to likely being uneducated, are not concerned about any effects from chlorine, fluorine, or lead.

you mean unlike the highly educated people that set up irish water and thought it would succeed!....