California Tap Water; What's in it???

To begin I moved to California a couple months ago. My family usually buys bottled water and that is what I had been drinking here for the first few months.
Then about two weeks ago are refrigerator broke on us and I am not one who is terribly fond of warm water; so I started to drink tap water with ice for awhile.
For a period of a week and a half I would wake up in the morning, having terrible stomach pains like I was going to throw up. I also was having the runs and both these symptoms would go away by mid day (I usually did not drink water in the mornings, just late afternoon and night). My dad was experiencing the same thing.
I did not think of the tap water being the reason for us feeling this way, until a co-worker listening to how I had been feeling lately asked if I had been drinking tap water.
Now my Dad and I were the only ones feeling this way, as my Mom was not. When I got home I asked if any of them had been drinking tap water. My dad said he was with his pills at night and my mom was not drinking the tap water. Thus she was feeling fine and we were not.
So after my co-worker told me this, I stopped drinking the tap water and have been feeling fine since then.

The weird thing is when I was living in New York, New Jersey, and Florida; I used to drink tap water a lot more there and never seemed to have any problems. Yet as soon as I try it here; I got sick from it. Now in the link here:

www.freedrinkingwater.com...

it says that it can cause health risks yet the amounts were all within federal standards. That was for LA and I live in San Diego, which it said got a similar grade to LA, except for some areas the levels of chemical perchlorate was higher than the new state standard for government action.

If it can post health risks, how can it be within federal standards? What is really in it? Why would I get sick from the tap water in California, yet been fine all those years drinking the tap water in New York, New Jersey, and Florida.

I made this thread as I am interested in hearing people with similar stories, thoughts on whats in the tap water causing this, the difference in tap water on one coast to another, anything else that pops in you head on this topic. Also, to hopefully prevent people from drinking the tap water here. Also, to just share my experience with you fellow ATS members.

In conclusion, to say the least I am back on the bottled water train and ain't leaving, lol.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Not sure if I posted this in the correct section, so if it is not please move to the appropriate area for discussion.

Southern California tap water is horrible. There are all kinds of excess minerals/chemicals like chlorine, calcium, lime, zinc, magnesium and not to mention the King of all : Fluoride. I know this because I garden, and if I use tap water my plants will wilt, yellow, and eventually die. Trying to balance Ph levels and Parts per million concentration was impossible with tap water, I suggest a reverse osmosis system or to have Sparkletts deliver to your house, the most you can do besides that is a water softener...unless you want to distill your own water.

reply to post by theUNKNOWNawaits


California Tap Water; What's in it??? Liberal kool aid and loads of estrogen. That's why i don't drink the water here

reply to post by raiders247


Yea, my co-worker who I mention in the op, says it was not like this awhile back. Yet is now becoming more like the water in Mexico. What kind of water do you use on your garden??
Thanks for your suggestions. Might do the Sparkletts thing, well see.


reply to post by pcrobotwolf


Hahaha

Great post and I would be very curious to know what is in our Southern California water. I am in Orange County and began indoor gardening. I tested the PPM and PH of the tap water here in OC and the tap water was sitting around 290ppm and the PH was sitting around 8.5ph. Just for reference, Distilled or (pure water) should have a ppm around 0, mine I tested and it sat at only 4 ppm and the PH is neutral at 7. RO water or Reverse Osmosis water usually tests at around 45-55 ppm and the ph usually sits a little higher at 7.5-8.5 from the bottled water I am testing...

Now what is really strange here in OC, when I fill my bathtub up with sink/public water, the water tone is aqua blue...now this is not a reflection of outside light, (happens day or night, with CFL lights or pure sunlight)...And there are no blue colored soaps I am using.....What is the blue color in our water......????

After testing our tap water I decided not to drink it anymore....I usually drink a lot of water throughout the day, I would estimate at least 1-3 liters of water per day... mostly because it is very dry here sometimes.... The day after I stopped drinking sink/public water and switched to a low ppm RO water, I immediatly had a severe headache all day, which for me is very rare, I usually never get headaches....
Was this a "withdrawal" effect of whatever was in the water?? Was my body "addicted" to some chemical or pharmasutical that was dissolved in the water?

I would love to see a lab analysis done for local socal water...what are we really drinking????

reply to post by theUNKNOWNawaits


all jokes aside the water actually takes on a whitish mist color when first poured from the tap and then the trace deposits float to the bottom. I knew a 7 years old the water was bad.

By now Fukushima or some kind of mercury. You never know.

There's only one way to find out, and that is to have it lab tested. Mind you that could be considered an expensive service, but just think - If you do find any alarming results from an independant lab test, you would then have one hell of a whistle in your hands to blow. But speculation alone isn't enough to make claims like illness caused by water

Up here in the Bay Area, I'm drinking tap water right now actually, but my internal systems seem to be doing their job fine, no pains no illnesses here. If you're willing to actually get to testing it, I am willing to help you find an affordable water testing solution if you wish. Sometimes I am concerned about the contents of the water too, but I'm not the type of guy to drop money on bottled water. I suppose a lot could be said for Brita water filters in situations like this, too... Will stay tuned.

reply to post by icemud


Thanks and thanks for replying with that information. It was interesting to see the comparisons of the waters you tested. I am definitely staying away from tap water.
That is extremely odd what could be in the water giving it that blue color? In SD, the water looks more like pcrobotwolf is saying. A whitish gray mist color.
Wow, you might be onto something there, as the day after I stopped drinking tap water I had a massive headache!! And I do not get headaches like that at all really. Maybe it was a withdrawal effect or maybe it was just a coincidence. Either way though it is very interesting.
The question continues....what are we drinking indeed?


reply to post by pcrobotwolf


Yeah, the water here looks like that, whitish gray mist color.
Not a pleasant color to drink, lol.


reply to post by Heartisblack


Oh the possibilities!!!



reply to post by Sek82


You are absolutely right there. The only true way we will find out is if we get it lab tested and I would love to find something to blow the whistle in their faces for sure. I am interested in testing the water, but as a full-time student I am pretty much broke all the time. Would not be drinking bottled water either due to price, except the folks buy it. Which makes me happy, as I want nothing to do with tap water anymore.
I forgot about the Brita water filters, used to have one when I was in New Jersey. They definitely do the job, as that was good water.

But all-in-all dude, you need to get a water filter. Whatever's in your water is probably gonna kill you and no I'm not fear-mongering.

reply to post by Heartisblack


Oh I know you are not.
You are just giving sound advice and I appreciate it.
It is definitely going on my list to do asap.

Originally posted by theUNKNOWNawaits
reply to post by raiders247

 

Yea, my co-worker who I mention in the op, says it was not like this awhile back. Yet is now becoming more like the water in Mexico. What kind of water do you use on your garden??
Thanks for your suggestions. Might do the Sparkletts thing, well see.

The water quality has plummeted in the last decade, my father used to drink tap water from 1976-2002, now he cant stand it.

I have a few options for my water, I collect rain in large 120 gallon bins. Thats primarily a back up source, but I have tested it and its head and shoulders better than the tap. I actually distill my tap water, from what I understand it is the only way to remove pollutants and chemicals besides reverse osmosis. Distilling your own water is really pretty simple, especially if you buy a distilling pot specially made for the purpose.

Theres a great youtube channel by Urbangardener, my rain water system is very similar to his. Heres a video:


To distill the tap/rain water I use smaller 5 gallon containers that are heavily coated with a layer of black paint. What this does is allow heat from the sun to be absorbed in. I then run tubing from that container into another empty one, and over time the water heats up, converts to steam and leaves all/most of the impurities behind. If you go this route make sure you watch a few videos on youtube or go googling for proper distilling techniques. Theres many ways to do it, it just depends on your situation. Try it out, you won't be disappointed, tastes great!

EDIT: pcrobotwolf's post is a great description of my tap water. There is such a high alkaline level in the water it's scary. And I too have seen the white mist and settling minerals, and headaches from drinking it. If I even drink a few glasses of it now I'll have throbbing pains in the top left side of my head, I think that tells me all I need to know about it.

reply to post by raiders247


very cool system i actually watched the video

No tap water taste as bad as Phoenix tap water. I have been all over, and it IS the worst!
Has a lead taste.

I wish I could dig my own well in my yard, but it is illegal here. Where I live the aquafird has great water, but it was sold, and they gave us tap water, and make the wells here illegal. They sell our Great water to someone in CA, while we now get city water.

They used to say the water under my little town was the best in the state. Now, there are fissures that are opening up from them tapping our aquafird. (cant spell that) ... THey are mapped, and known to be a possible danger of major sink holes. THey take our water and make our property worthless.

reply to post by raiders247


Thanks for sharing all that information with me, that was an awesome video. It sounds like a great idea and anything is going to be better than this tap water. I wonder though why it has changed so much over the years.

reply to post by amatrine


Thanks for sharing. Interesting to know that in your opinion Phoenix is the worst. Have not been there, but I can not imagine much worse than what this has been like. (Do not want to try even, lol)
Sad to hear that that is happening in your area. Is anything being done about it or no?

Double post

If you live in LA Calif and drink Owens river water.

I have over many years seen a lot of dead cows in the Owens river.

I don't drink the water when i visit LA

if i live in California Los Angeles would it be safe to drink the water if I filtered it with one of those brita filters?
if not can someone suggest a new way for me to get water? i always feel a little insecure drinking water this way especially with the nuclear accident in Japan and all.

reply to post by ANNED


Yikes, definitely a bad sign for sure.


reply to post by SophyC76


I would not be drinking the water there as the LA Times said the water in LA and San Diego are close; and here in San Diego the water made me sick. I think you will probably be fine if you filter it through one of those brita filters (probably what Ill end up doing), although I am not an expert on the subject.

Water companies in California are required to do annual chemical testing.

You should be able to get copies of all the chemical tests for your water supply.

You may be surprised what is actually in your water and that what limits the state considers "acceptable".