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Originally Posted by jimholio
What is it that makes the tap water in some country's worse then others? Is it chemicals, bad pipes, the heat, or where the water comes from?
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Hi Jim,
Having spent some of my life designing water systems, I think I can answer this one. It all begins with the treatment plant. If it is designed to carry the load then the water leaving the plant will be as good as anywhere else. It may have local flavor or taste because of "stuff" (harmless micro bacterial) in the water. But the overall potability or quality of the water will be to a safe standard.
OK, so much for theory. If the plant is made to pass through more water per day than designed then the quality will suffer proportionally and some cooties will get through.
Next on the list is maintenance, if the plant is meticulously maintained then well and good, if not then see the "cooties" issue above.
Next down the line is the reticulation system, the pipes that get it to your tap. One of the major problems is flushing after repairs. If the water company has to replace a pipe, they should over boost with Chlorine and purge all the drained sections, then flush and reconnect the users.
Suffice to say, if LOS is like most other Asian countries I have visited, very little if any of that process is done, Thus injecting possible contamination.
Technically, there should be little to no difference in water quality, PROVIDING every step along the line the guidelines set by engineers are followed. However the gap between "should" and "is" can be huge.
Drink bottled water.
