With complaints of dirty tap water rising by the day, the city recently addressed the issue
New York City — Saying water tastes like dirt is like saying broccoli tastes like cake. But apparently of late, New Yorkers are doing just that.
Along with its world-famous pizza, New York City is known for having the crème de la crème of tap water. Some even speculated the top-notch tap water added that "special" to the special sauce topping the city's pizzas. But recently, things changed.
Since the month started, the city's received roughly 30 complaints about water quality. Some New Yorkers even gripe the tap water smells "musty." Wait! Mustiness is usually associated with armpits, not tap water. Others preferred descriptions ranging from "bitter" to "metallic."
Perhaps when offered tap water while on a date, telling the waiter "no thanks" is the way to go. After all, most likely your date won't buy the excuse: "But . . . but it's the water, not me, that's musty."
As for why such is the case, the city Department of Environmental Protection recently explained:
DEP has temporarily shut down the Catskill Aqueduct this month for the fourth and final year of an all-important rehabilitation project.
And what exactly does this mean?
While the Catskill Aqueduct is out of service for the next 15 weeks [. . .] these changes might cause some New Yorkers to notice that their drinking water tastes different. The change in smell or taste might be unpleasant, but DEP can assure you that it is temporary, seasonal, and 100 percent harmless.
Despite the dirty taste, "100 percent harmless" tap water is the key takeaway. After all, the DEP conducts anywhere from 500,000 to 600,000 health and quality tests on the city's water every year.
Of course, before the rehabilitation project is finished, the DEP cautions — expect the taste to get worse as the weather changes take effect (seasonal decay of plants). Ouch!
In short, though for the holiday season the tap water may require a breath mint, it's encouraging to know New Yorkers can rest assured the taste "is temporary, seasonal, and 100 percent harmless."
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