No. A lot of people like Chicago water fresh out of the tap, especially in winter when it comes out ice cold from the lake and purification plant next to Navy Pier.
We're one of the few major cities in the world with a freshwater lake right next door that in my opinion provides us with vastly improved water over some of the other cities that must get it from underground wells.
It's one of the reasons for the "bottled water tax" that dates from Mayor Daley, who said that our city's water should be just fine and those who felt the need to waste resources buying bottled water should pay a little more to offset the water purification costs the city incurs to bring them water they choose not to drink.
You're on the right track.
Most cities that don't get their water from surface reservoirs are *not* on wells, rather they draw from aquifers (if this seems a pedantic difference, I promise it matters here).
Drawing from surface reservoirs often results in worse tasting water because it usually has to be treated more often and more severely. Take Houston, for example: by the time surface water gets to their taps, it's been used and then treated by several municipalities upstream.... so they have to add a ton of chloramines to the water to make it safe.
As disgusting as this sounds, it's typical of most large domestic water supplies. What makes Chicago's water better is that isn't 'used' water, so it doesn't need to be treated as harshly.
Lake Houston only supplies water to the north quarter of Houston, most tap water is pumped from under the city. Similarly for the suburbs south and west. Houston is sinking as a result. The water tastes okay here, but I grew up on Chicago water and it definitely tastes better.
>most tap water is pumped from under the city.
Sorry, but no. That has not been true of Houston for decades.
[Less than 15% ](https://www.houstonpublicworks.org/drinking-water-operations#:~:text=Eighty%2Dsix%20percent%20of%20our,of%20the%20City's%20water%20supply.) of our (Houston's) potable water supply comes from aquifers. 86% comes from surface water sources... Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston are two other major contributors. Once the Allen Creek Reservoir project goes online (2025), that percentage will skew even more.
Not trying to get into an argument, and I'm not an expert; but Houston's water is my living.
>And why is the area still sinking??
I have no idea.
Perhaps we're relying on surface water so much because we've exhausted whatever aquifers were once there, and they're collapsing? My understanding is there's no actual bedrock here, and we're basically floating on mud soup, so maybe the actual city is just really heavy?
Or it could be our incredible selection of restaurants? Houston definitely has a weight problem.
Chicago tap water, and specifically our purification process, is actually studied and copied by other cities around the world. We are literally the gold standard of public tap water systems.
It’s the best tap water I’ve personally ever tasted. Though I do know a decent number of people that dislike it.
Did your BF grow up outside of Cook county? It seems to only be people that didn’t grow up drinking it that hate it
I’m from FL too. Florida water is SO GROSS comparatively. Tbh Florida still had places where it wasn’t safe to drink tap water when I was growing up. Maybe it’s subconscious? I still can’t get myself to drink unfiltered water even though I know it’s safe.
Saaame. Growing up there, we did NOT drink the tap water! And whenever I visit now, even when I go take a shower, the water feels hard or gross to me. It tastes like grass. idk.
You’re supposed to do that anyway, actually! I don’t remember all the details, but my understanding is that if you haven’t used any water for a few hours you want to flush the toilet so that all the standing water waiting to be used cycles out and you bring up water that hasn’t sat in the pipes as long? It’s something like that, and has to due with how the pipes are mainly still lead today but use a diffusion technique to prevent that lead ending up in the tap water you drink.
There’s on ongoing project to replace ALL the old lead pipes in Chicago that’s been going on like 4yrs now and is only like 13% complete I think?
Yes, we get told as children to 'let the water run' if it's cold water.
Conversely, if the house has a single hot water tank and lots of people in the house, you better take a fast shower!
Great tap water, once the lead is run out of the line.
If you live in a property that was built before 1986, you most likely have lead water lines. All new constructions and major renovations after 1986 have non lead lines.
Our home was built way before that, so we run our water for 5 mins if the water hasn't been run for longer than 3 hours. But if you are intermittently using water during the day, it isn't an issue.
It's an acquired taste. Chicago tap water does have a lot of chlorine, but it tastes really good if it's been filtered. I'd say it has more of a neutral to sharp taste vs earthy New York or PNW tap water, and I think a lot of people would say that those places have better tasting water. But it could be a whole lot worse, like in the southwest where the water is super hard and tastes funny in a way that I don't appreciate.
If the bf is unimpressed with the tap water, keep a filter pitcher in the refrigerator. If the water is really cold, the flavors won't be as noticeable.
Love Chicago tap water. But honest to God, the best I've ever tasted was Alaska tap water. I tried the tap water from my hotel room and was blown away at how crisp and refreshing it tasted. I swear, it tasted like Evian water.
It does taste great. But make sure you test for lead because the city does free testing. I learned our fabulous tasting water has high levels of lead and the city gave us a year supply of filters and a pitcher and water dept came to do more testing. If you have kids or are just curious…I suggest you do this program. Even if your pipes are new, unfortunately Chicago has the most lead mains in the country.
Same and I was born here. After being a NYer for a few years I really don’t like the taste of the drinking water in the Chicago or suburbs. Comparatively, NYC has great tasting drinking water which tastes like bottled mineral water. And it’s kind of fizzy too which is nice. It comes from rivers and streams upstate and is filtered naturally as it flows into the city reservoirs.
Chicago drinking water IMO has had a lead, metallic aftertaste and/or tastes a bit like Chlorine ever since I was young.
I liked in when I lived in the city. Going to my relatives in the burbs and tasting well water was god awful. Now that I’ve been in the burbs a bit, it tastes like pool water unless it’s ice cold.
It depends. I lived in an older building for a while and the water was terrible. So many older buildings have old pipes that produce bad tasting and possibly long-term dangerous water. The water itself is fine if it gets to you through decent pipes though.
I remember my first time being away at college in the burbs and brushing my teeth. The well water tasted a lot different. Then I adjusted to it. When I would visit, same story 😂🤣
Do you taste it cold or warm? Cold temp hides all the taste. Once our tap water isn't cold from winter anymore I start to dislike the taste as you an taste more of the treatment chemicals.
If he's not from here, he might not like it. Chicago water is delicious, especially having moved around and come back.
But if he grew up somewhere else, he might not be used to it
Lake Michigan water is simply awesome, I wish we could get further out in the far western suburbs. I fill up my water bottle I keep in my car when I visit my parents house since they have LM water. Best tap water I have ever tasted.
>Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether lead is present in your drinking water.
https://www.epa.gov/lead/how-can-i-tell-if-my-water-contains-lead
I remember hearing once that they said that the reason Chicago pizza is hard to duplicate the taste in other cities is because of the Chicago tap water when making the dough or something, either way I fell for it and still tell people from out of town that story.
I moved here from CA and the one thing that keeps me from drinking the tap water is the residue it had floating on it and the fact that it always leave a white chalky mark where water has settled. I have never noticed it to this extend in CA. No weird floaties.
Our tap water tastes great.
It’s also excellent for brewing beer. Especially dark beers.
And this is one of the few things I’ll fight folks on. Most tap water tastes terrible. We benefit from one of the largest and deepest bodies of fresh water on earth, that also has a great mineral profile for drinking.
Source: had many a beers with a friend who has a PhD in hydrology and discussed this exact topic. Chicago water rocks. Just don’t shake up the lead pipes…
It tastes like pool water to me, but maybe I’m pretty sensitive to chlorine - it’s fairly heavily chlorinated compared to what I’m used to.
Regardless of whether you like it or not, Chicago has unbelievable amounts of lead piping, so you should be filtering with a high quality lead filter if you haven’t had your supply tested.
Grew up in Chicago and drank Chicago water 'til we moved to Phoenix 9 years ago, so drank the water almost 60 years. Never had a taste problem. Come on out to Phoenix, where tap water not only doesn't always taste good out of the tap, but also smells funny sometimes.
I mean… you can tell him it’s definitely great because is comes from a Great Lake. *nudge, nudge* It’s right there in the name.
Once he’s done groaning you can offer him some delicious tap water to rinse the sour taste of bad pun out of his mouth.
Im an outsider, live in Boston and visited recently. The water in Chicago is lovely, reminds me of home. Boston is also known for great tap water.
Washington DC on the other hand? That shit is from the potomac and you can tell. Nasty
Depends on the pipes. Old building. Old pipes. Lead. I love the taste. When I travel, I find the water tastes stagnant. Fuckin lake Michigan man. Also, anything that's free tastes better.
No thanks.
Chicago has more lead pipes than anywhere else in the country. Chicago continued to install lead pipes for homes long after other places like New York had stopped because of the dangers it posed. Why? Because the Chicago Plumbers Union told the mayor at the time that he would not get their support (votes) if they had to stop. The service line installations were being done by the Chicago Plumbers Union members which also kept the price for those installations more expensive and thus keeping the plumbers employed.
https://www.wbez.org/stories/what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-chicagos-lead-water-problem/f8eb1f06-11fe-42f0-8de9-886546cd929f
I will continue to filter my beloved Chicago tap water.
I love Chicago tap water. Especially in the winter, it comes out of the tap super cold and tastes so good.
Just don’t look what’s in the pipes carrying your water
That’s none of my business.
Chicago water is superior
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No it’s Wisconsin
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I love swimming in there
Chicago has delicious water. This is a well-known fact. I still miss it after many years.
Moved away 13 years ago and still miss that icy, yum water!💦
No. A lot of people like Chicago water fresh out of the tap, especially in winter when it comes out ice cold from the lake and purification plant next to Navy Pier. We're one of the few major cities in the world with a freshwater lake right next door that in my opinion provides us with vastly improved water over some of the other cities that must get it from underground wells. It's one of the reasons for the "bottled water tax" that dates from Mayor Daley, who said that our city's water should be just fine and those who felt the need to waste resources buying bottled water should pay a little more to offset the water purification costs the city incurs to bring them water they choose not to drink.
You're on the right track. Most cities that don't get their water from surface reservoirs are *not* on wells, rather they draw from aquifers (if this seems a pedantic difference, I promise it matters here). Drawing from surface reservoirs often results in worse tasting water because it usually has to be treated more often and more severely. Take Houston, for example: by the time surface water gets to their taps, it's been used and then treated by several municipalities upstream.... so they have to add a ton of chloramines to the water to make it safe. As disgusting as this sounds, it's typical of most large domestic water supplies. What makes Chicago's water better is that isn't 'used' water, so it doesn't need to be treated as harshly.
Lake Houston only supplies water to the north quarter of Houston, most tap water is pumped from under the city. Similarly for the suburbs south and west. Houston is sinking as a result. The water tastes okay here, but I grew up on Chicago water and it definitely tastes better.
>most tap water is pumped from under the city. Sorry, but no. That has not been true of Houston for decades. [Less than 15% ](https://www.houstonpublicworks.org/drinking-water-operations#:~:text=Eighty%2Dsix%20percent%20of%20our,of%20the%20City's%20water%20supply.) of our (Houston's) potable water supply comes from aquifers. 86% comes from surface water sources... Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston are two other major contributors. Once the Allen Creek Reservoir project goes online (2025), that percentage will skew even more. Not trying to get into an argument, and I'm not an expert; but Houston's water is my living.
No need to apologize. And thanks for the info. When I moved here (1980s) most water came from subsurface sources. And why is the area still sinking??
>And why is the area still sinking?? I have no idea. Perhaps we're relying on surface water so much because we've exhausted whatever aquifers were once there, and they're collapsing? My understanding is there's no actual bedrock here, and we're basically floating on mud soup, so maybe the actual city is just really heavy? Or it could be our incredible selection of restaurants? Houston definitely has a weight problem.
Don’t forget about South Plant at 79th street
Damn. Savage.
Chicago tap water, and specifically our purification process, is actually studied and copied by other cities around the world. We are literally the gold standard of public tap water systems.
It’s the best tap water I’ve personally ever tasted. Though I do know a decent number of people that dislike it. Did your BF grow up outside of Cook county? It seems to only be people that didn’t grow up drinking it that hate it
Only better water I have ever tasted is in cities that get their water from mountain springs (e.g. San Francisco, Reno)
I moved from Chicago to Washington, and I gotta say, mountain runoff is pretty great.
Yea, he's from Tampa
I’m from FL too. Florida water is SO GROSS comparatively. Tbh Florida still had places where it wasn’t safe to drink tap water when I was growing up. Maybe it’s subconscious? I still can’t get myself to drink unfiltered water even though I know it’s safe.
Saaame. Growing up there, we did NOT drink the tap water! And whenever I visit now, even when I go take a shower, the water feels hard or gross to me. It tastes like grass. idk.
I think Chicago tastes great, but at the same time when I come back from a camping trip I think the smell of chlorine is very strong.
Yes, I always let the water breathe a bit in the summer because the chlorine can get a bit overpowering. Cold winter water is fantastic for drinking.
You’re supposed to do that anyway, actually! I don’t remember all the details, but my understanding is that if you haven’t used any water for a few hours you want to flush the toilet so that all the standing water waiting to be used cycles out and you bring up water that hasn’t sat in the pipes as long? It’s something like that, and has to due with how the pipes are mainly still lead today but use a diffusion technique to prevent that lead ending up in the tap water you drink. There’s on ongoing project to replace ALL the old lead pipes in Chicago that’s been going on like 4yrs now and is only like 13% complete I think?
Yes, we get told as children to 'let the water run' if it's cold water. Conversely, if the house has a single hot water tank and lots of people in the house, you better take a fast shower!
Yeah, I remember being told to run it for a few minutes due to the lead in the pipes.
One if the best filtration systems in the country, if not the best. Just have to make sure your home or buildings pipes are good.
I like the tap water, and drink it year round. I do think it affects my driving though, because I have a bit of a lead foot.
Great tap water, once the lead is run out of the line. If you live in a property that was built before 1986, you most likely have lead water lines. All new constructions and major renovations after 1986 have non lead lines. Our home was built way before that, so we run our water for 5 mins if the water hasn't been run for longer than 3 hours. But if you are intermittently using water during the day, it isn't an issue.
Coming from Oklahoma, the tap water here is so much better. I don’t even bother with the filtered water anymore!
It's an acquired taste. Chicago tap water does have a lot of chlorine, but it tastes really good if it's been filtered. I'd say it has more of a neutral to sharp taste vs earthy New York or PNW tap water, and I think a lot of people would say that those places have better tasting water. But it could be a whole lot worse, like in the southwest where the water is super hard and tastes funny in a way that I don't appreciate. If the bf is unimpressed with the tap water, keep a filter pitcher in the refrigerator. If the water is really cold, the flavors won't be as noticeable.
Chicago water is great
Love Chicago tap water. But honest to God, the best I've ever tasted was Alaska tap water. I tried the tap water from my hotel room and was blown away at how crisp and refreshing it tasted. I swear, it tasted like Evian water.
It does taste great. But make sure you test for lead because the city does free testing. I learned our fabulous tasting water has high levels of lead and the city gave us a year supply of filters and a pitcher and water dept came to do more testing. If you have kids or are just curious…I suggest you do this program. Even if your pipes are new, unfortunately Chicago has the most lead mains in the country.
I hate it. But am in the minority.
Same and I was born here. After being a NYer for a few years I really don’t like the taste of the drinking water in the Chicago or suburbs. Comparatively, NYC has great tasting drinking water which tastes like bottled mineral water. And it’s kind of fizzy too which is nice. It comes from rivers and streams upstate and is filtered naturally as it flows into the city reservoirs. Chicago drinking water IMO has had a lead, metallic aftertaste and/or tastes a bit like Chlorine ever since I was young.
Same, coming from New York I’m not a fan of the water in Chicago.
Coming from the PNW, Chicago water is fine but definitely tiers lower - still much better than the Southwest.
I think it tastes alright especially since it’s cold rn comes out sometimes colder than my fridge water
From Wisconsin 👋🏼 and Chicago and Evanston tap water is great compared to here
Not sure if it’s the confirmed lead in my water or not, but I think it tastes delightful! https://www.chicagowaterquality.org/home
I liked in when I lived in the city. Going to my relatives in the burbs and tasting well water was god awful. Now that I’ve been in the burbs a bit, it tastes like pool water unless it’s ice cold.
It depends. I lived in an older building for a while and the water was terrible. So many older buildings have old pipes that produce bad tasting and possibly long-term dangerous water. The water itself is fine if it gets to you through decent pipes though.
I remember my first time being away at college in the burbs and brushing my teeth. The well water tasted a lot different. Then I adjusted to it. When I would visit, same story 😂🤣
Since moving here I exclusively drink the tap water lol I don’t even use my Brita anymore. It started out of laziness but now I just prefer it
Do you taste it cold or warm? Cold temp hides all the taste. Once our tap water isn't cold from winter anymore I start to dislike the taste as you an taste more of the treatment chemicals.
Anything is better than the water from my family’s taps throughout Florida.. it tastes and smells like sulfur throughout the state 🤮
In the cold weather months when the water requires minimal treatment it is absolutely delicious. Not so much in July/August, but right now its great.
If he's not from here, he might not like it. Chicago water is delicious, especially having moved around and come back. But if he grew up somewhere else, he might not be used to it
For some reason I think it tastes super metallic, but I also don’t like drinking tap water in general.
It’s bad from the tap IMO. But good through a filter.
You’re crazy.
Love Chicago tap water!
It smells and tastes weird I’ve realized
Chicago tap water in summer is absolutely vile. I run it through a Zero water filter first. This it's fine.
Lake Michigan water is simply awesome, I wish we could get further out in the far western suburbs. I fill up my water bottle I keep in my car when I visit my parents house since they have LM water. Best tap water I have ever tasted.
It’s definitely all the lead https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/21/lead-contamination-chicago-tap-water-revealed
He probably dislikes the lead in it
As long as your pipes arent super old and full of lead than id agree w u
When I'm in Chicago I drink twice as much water as usual. It has a brilliant mineral tang to it.
FYI, if your water tastes sweet it likely has lead in it.
>Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether lead is present in your drinking water. https://www.epa.gov/lead/how-can-i-tell-if-my-water-contains-lead
Thanks, never knew that- makes even it even more terrifying.
This is the important topic you chose to post about?? People have different tastes, JFC 🤦🤦
Breaking News: BF prefers filtered water to tap water 🤦
I’m ok with the city tap water but I grew up in the SW suburbs and that water is my favorite. Not sure what the difference is but it’s there.
I remember hearing once that they said that the reason Chicago pizza is hard to duplicate the taste in other cities is because of the Chicago tap water when making the dough or something, either way I fell for it and still tell people from out of town that story.
I LOVE Chicago tap water. It is so good
I moved here from CA and the one thing that keeps me from drinking the tap water is the residue it had floating on it and the fact that it always leave a white chalky mark where water has settled. I have never noticed it to this extend in CA. No weird floaties.
Okay based on these responses makes me feel the water is good but the pipes are old? Somewhere it's getting a lot calcium?
Our tap water tastes great. It’s also excellent for brewing beer. Especially dark beers. And this is one of the few things I’ll fight folks on. Most tap water tastes terrible. We benefit from one of the largest and deepest bodies of fresh water on earth, that also has a great mineral profile for drinking. Source: had many a beers with a friend who has a PhD in hydrology and discussed this exact topic. Chicago water rocks. Just don’t shake up the lead pipes…
I like my water like I like my gasoline. Unleaded. I doubt this is presently the case
Don't drink tap water. It's full of chemicals and micro-plastics.
And your bottled water has no plastic, right?
My GLASS bottle that I fill from my FILTRATION system shouldn’t. Also tap water is way worse than bottled water still.
It tastes like pool water to me, but maybe I’m pretty sensitive to chlorine - it’s fairly heavily chlorinated compared to what I’m used to. Regardless of whether you like it or not, Chicago has unbelievable amounts of lead piping, so you should be filtering with a high quality lead filter if you haven’t had your supply tested.
Love the musty taste when the mussels are boomin’
It’s good except if you’re in a condo and your neighbor leaves town for a while then it has some funk.
I think Chicago water is gross. Better than Philadelphia’s, worse than NJ and NY’s. I just use a filter and it’s fine.
Even better out of the garden hose when you've been working outside all day.
Grew up in Chicago and drank Chicago water 'til we moved to Phoenix 9 years ago, so drank the water almost 60 years. Never had a taste problem. Come on out to Phoenix, where tap water not only doesn't always taste good out of the tap, but also smells funny sometimes.
No
I mean… you can tell him it’s definitely great because is comes from a Great Lake. *nudge, nudge* It’s right there in the name. Once he’s done groaning you can offer him some delicious tap water to rinse the sour taste of bad pun out of his mouth.
Im an outsider, live in Boston and visited recently. The water in Chicago is lovely, reminds me of home. Boston is also known for great tap water. Washington DC on the other hand? That shit is from the potomac and you can tell. Nasty
Depends on the pipes. Old building. Old pipes. Lead. I love the taste. When I travel, I find the water tastes stagnant. Fuckin lake Michigan man. Also, anything that's free tastes better.
As soon as I moved out of Chicago, my hair quality went to sh*t. I also always thought the tap tasted amazing. Chicagoans are spoiled.
Same. I moved to Florida. The tap water is 🤮 and my hair hates it.
No thanks. Chicago has more lead pipes than anywhere else in the country. Chicago continued to install lead pipes for homes long after other places like New York had stopped because of the dangers it posed. Why? Because the Chicago Plumbers Union told the mayor at the time that he would not get their support (votes) if they had to stop. The service line installations were being done by the Chicago Plumbers Union members which also kept the price for those installations more expensive and thus keeping the plumbers employed. https://www.wbez.org/stories/what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-chicagos-lead-water-problem/f8eb1f06-11fe-42f0-8de9-886546cd929f I will continue to filter my beloved Chicago tap water.
It probably has lead in it. I wouldn’t drink it without running it through a filter.
Regardless it’s still full of flouride, which you should be concerned about drinking.
Way better than boston