Drinking water
Let's talk about drinking water? What do most people do for drinking water? The ever so inconvenient ,plastic waste producing water bottles? Or store bought commercial filters such as brita..Pur...? Healthy water is so important and after hearing rumors about bad quality of Htown water we are considering ditching our Pur pitcher and installing a reverse osmosis under counter filtration.
Lina Poor quality?? If u want the answers why don’t u reach out to the HMUA and ask some questions.. I hear rumors of a blizzard coming next week.. I drink the tap water here in town and have never had a problem. If u feel more comfortable install a filtration system and have piece of mind.. I personally would think it s a waste of money...
Mr. Tone Lina, I have used a five stage reverse osmosis system for my drinking water for over 17 years. The system does a great job if cleaning up the tap water. I change the filters every six months and the membrane every three years. The RO water is on the acidic side due to removal of minerals. If that's not desirable you can include a re-mineralizing cartrige on the output to help balance the ph. Good luck.
BC Reverse Osmosis will remove the Chromium-6 that is in Hackettstown's water.
If you saw the movie "Erin Brockovich" that is what we are talking about here. It's the same toxin that was in the water that movie was about.
I also don't know why we should pay for contaminated water. HMUA should install a reverse osmosis devise in their facility to clean the water.
happiest girlwe drink water through the refrigerator - change the filter every 6 months- town water often tastes yucky---
4catmom Previous discussion:
http://www.hackettstownlife.com/forum/521415
Water is tested to standards, so if there are problems I think they should be directed toward the regulatory agencies rather than hmua...
justintime We installed a water softener about 7 yrs ago. Made a big difference in the quality of our our drinking water.
Htown newbie Same as 4catmom, through the filtered refrigerator dispenser into my stainless Contigo bottle. I also drink most of my water at work which is dispensed through a bottle-less counter top water cooler. I cringe at the amount of bottled water most people drink, and the amount of plastic bottles that are filling up our landfills.
Tracy for every gallon of clean water an R/O filter makes, it wastes 3-4 gallons. That's a lot of wasted water.
Jim L I moved here from NYC, and DISGUSTED from ANY LEVEL of NJ water...even called Fresh Mountain Water.
So went all out :
1) Installed a *Salt-FREE* whole house Softener
https://www.pelicanwater.com/water-softeners/water-filter-and-salt-free-softeners/
2) Installed a Refrigerator RO (Reverse Osmosis) filter
https://www.aquapurefilters.com/store/product/200005.200005/ap-ro5500.html
and have enjoyed NYC clear, clean water straight from fridge, & ice cubes
I have well water (have no water bill) so DON'T CARE & NOT A WASTE to dispense "3-4 gallons per R/O filtering water" - I SERIOUSLY CARE about the water going into my and my family's bodies!
Family of 4, change filters for both once a year. Membrane for both MSRB suggests about 3-5 years.
Do buy only/always Poland Spring for the kids out to school.
And since I work in NJ, and the office water cooler makes it still have some sort of Mountainy taste to me, I bought a 2nd stage water bottle with filter...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/LifeStraw-Go-Water-Bottle-with-2-Stage-Filter-Blue/54066848
https://www.lifestraw.com/
...since my bottle is using filtered water-cooler@ work + lifestraw's filter so far has lasted >2+ years.
Feeling Clean as a Whistle!!! lol
jjpl JJPL---you should ask someone at your office, when was the last time the water cooler was cleaned. I know when I had one at home, the instructions were to run a tsp of bleach thru it once a month. I have never seen any of my employers clean their water coolers. I would never drink water that has come out of one of those coolers based on that alone.
Nancy Good point Nancy! The water machines at work have a filter that needs to be cleaned & that flashes when it needs to be cleaned but we also have a machine for water/ice & I bet that is never cleaned..........
Luca Can anyone that has installed an RO system and softener recommend a reputable company?
Jules I cant drink hackettstown water makes me nauseous and smells so strong of chlorine. I had a pool few years back a 3ft inflatable filled with hose and did water test it told me not to add any chlorine
DH Try this, a lot more reasonable and you can do the install in about 15 minutes. They check your towns water results and make the filter accordingly.
https://www.hydroviv.com/products/hydroviv-under-sink-water-filter-for-lead-chromium-6-arsenic?variant=48014233492
kb2755 Kindly note: Drinking Water Filters should be installed either under/linked to your refrigerator (with a Water/Ice maker dispenser) or to a separate faucet (which usually can be installed in place of the soap dispenser of your sink) or a separate 'basement' kitchen/laundry room sink, so you don't mix/use regular kitchen sink water used to clean plates/glasses/-filling pots of water for pasta/coffee,etc., with "filtered" drinking water.
Doing so will increase the cost and time to replace its filters...Where buying big water containers or a simple "office-type/size" water cooler may come more economical to use instead.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nestle-Waters-Poland-Spring-Water-5-gl/856290430
The tap water is definitely hard (high calcium and magnesium), but not harmful. I work in a lab and have tested the water myself. I found nothing of concern or over NJDEP/EPA Safe Drinking Water standards.
We just buy bottled water. I even use the bottled water to cook with unless I'm making pasta. I can only imagine what the tap water does to you over time after drinking it for several years.
Metsman I use a fridge filter that removes contaminants at a Poland Springs level for about $60 per 6 months. But not on HUMA water so not sure if it would work with that.
Gotta watch out though --- the $13 version is basically cardboard for silt and maybe chlorine taste. I have one of those on my water supply before it enters the system mostly just to stop any silt.
Might be $$$ equal to bottled, but just can't keep carrying those cases in.
strangerdanger strangerdanger
When you referred to "Poland Springs level" I nearly choked! IMHO that is the rankest bottled water I've ever tasted. As I've told people at work, even if I have a pill to take I will not avail myself of the free Poland Spring supplied at work (unless it's to make tea or coffee or hot chocolate). I would rather pay for a soft drink to wash down the pill it's just that nasty to my taste buds.
I still don't think we have virtually any laws, etc. governing bottled water, except now they must provide the source, which may be tap water and how that water has been treated in one way or another. I think the Europeans may be ahead of us on that. I've tasted many varieties of bottled water and have so far only found two that I've found to be "good" IMHO.
The first is Evian: http://www.evian.com/en_us/ and the second is Nałęczowianka, which is from Poland (the country, not the city in Maine, lol) https://www.nestle-waters.com/brands/naleczowianka They have a brand website for those who can read Polish that they link to from there, but I see no flag or other indication that they have an English language webpage. The side of the bottle has a breakdown of what concentrations of naturally occurring minerals are in the water.
Yep, you have heard of beer snobs before and I'm sure you may be one or know many people that are (I know enough of them, lol), but you've likely never heard of a "water snob" (except maybe in the Adam Sandler movie "Waterboy" - side note to that is that glacier ice/water isn't necessarily "pure" - it contains any dust and grit from the atmosphere then, like airborne volcanic ash, etc.).
Maybe I'm not such a "water snob" after all, because my favorite water other than those two bottled waters is "Tap" or "well", that's right, government tested and regulated "tap water", and because I like to live dangerously, that untested "well" stuff! My well in Hopatcong had excellent water, that is until it had silt contamination.
Phil D. Phil D. if you prefer the foul smelling chlorine laden water coming out of Hackettstown taps to Poland Spring, I can wholeheartedly concur you are no water snob.
Denis Poland Spring is filtered tap water...the real spring shut down when nestle bought them out
ianimal ianimal
I'm curious...when you eat cilantro in food, does it taste like soap? I'm one of those people that experience cilantro in food as if someone put dish soap in it. I was wondering because that may be why I experience water differently too. It can't be because of a deep seated dislike of things Francaise, would it;-)
Denis
I haven't actually tasted Hackettstown tap water in a number of years because although I work right by there and am in town most of my spare time, I haven't had the occasion to taste of the local Cl laden H2O. My Hopatcong water usually isn't chlorinated to the same level they must do there, but I find it tastier than my parent's tap water in Parsippany, whch (to me) is still much better than Poland Spring.
Bug3, that's total nonsense. The original spring ran dry but they use multiple springs in Maine. Technically any water that came out of a tap could be called tap water but it's not from any municipal or public water supply as you are trying to suggest.
Phil D. I would never call myself a water snob. If you gave me 3 glasses of water form the most popular water's sold I'm sure I couldn't tell you which was which. Mix in a glass of Hackettstown water I could tell you instantly. Water should not have a taste, Hackettstown water has a taste, and it's not a good one.
Maybe you should join the lawsuit denis
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/business/wp/2017/08/22/not-one-drop-of-poland-spring-bottled-water-is-from-a-spring-lawsuit-claims/
Bug3
Maybe you should learn the difference between an unsubstantiated claim in lawsuit against a deep pockets corporation, and facts.
Maybe you can point to something in the article that condriticts what I said.
Maybe you can point to something in the article that substantiates your original claim.
Actually, Phil... growing up, I had no concept of "bottled water". The only bottled water we had was the gallon jug of distilled water in the garage in case the car battery needed it, lol.
But when i was 15 or 16 and started reading Circus and Hit Parader and Kerrang, etc., I would always see photos of my hero Lars all sweated up after a Metallica show with a gigantic bottle of Evian in his hand. So, I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, it just wasnt any good.
Ian
Unfortunately you didn't answer my question about cilantro which I asked because it may be part of the key to this, but then maybe not. It would be of interest if find cilantro to have a pleasing taste and you don't find it feels as though your Mom washed your mouth out with soap because you done cussed in front of her. It could be a genetic thing, the same reason we all like different varieties of pizza, etc.
Yeah, my "bottled water" in those days was the same one and believe me, I have the same attitude towards Poland Spring as you did with Lars & Evian, I'd love to love it because it's supplied for free at work, but I just can't drink it. The first time I tried PS it took everything I had to keep from spitting it out, since I was in public, but the look on my face was obvious.
Denis
I feel for you man! There are times when Hopatcong overchlorinates its water too, and I can tell when it does, but it's usually back to normal within a day or two. Thanks for the warning - I will try to keep my snoot out of it! I can tell the what water is not one of my two favorites. If I can't it would be my new favorite.
The same goes for Coke, Pepsi, RC and C&C colas. I was in a place once and ordered a Coke. When I tasted it, I told the guy that it wasn't Coke. I told him "Coke" didn't refer to any cola and that I knew that he'd given me C&C Cola instead. That's exactly what it said on the syrup canister that he pointed to, there were no Coca-Cola branded products there at all, but he was passing them off as the more expensive stuff, because many folks apparently can't tell. By the way, I drink Pepsi more often now. When they moved from sugar to corn syrup, the Coke formula didn't taste as good to me anymore, that's why I always like being able to get the "Kosher Coke" around Passover (with the yellow top). It's sweetened with actual sugar (and none of that Stevia crabgrass either)!
Perhaps Jim L.would know or could find out or you could file a complaint with the DEP about it if you can't get any info from the HMUA. Personally I suspect that it may be due to the worry about contamination from all the water main leakages and repairs made in the last number of years.
The worst two "household tap waters I've ever had were my Grandmother's in the small town in Central PA where my Dad grew up. It was smack in Bituminous Coal country and there were a number of other quarries nearby too.
The worst ever was when I lived just outside of Slippery Rock, PA in a trailer park that had a strip mine (coal) within 1/2 mile. The well must not have been deep enough to fully hit the aquifer because that water was so strong you could almost stand a spoon in it. The iron and sulfur was definitely very apparent! The water in the town and at SRSC (now SRU) though was excellent!
Phil D, I don't know about cilantro, but ginger tastes like soap to me. Yuck. Always wondered why it was just me tasting that.
I'm a bit picky about tap water. Most of the time it doesn't taste right to me. If we go away somewhere, I bring bottled water with me. I won't drink from the tap. As for Hackettstown water, I think it tastes terrible! I use a Brita pitcher with filter, but we go through so much water it's a pain in the ass to refill. Between dripping down slowly through the filter, then waiting for it to get cold, and me usually being the only one who fills it! Boy, do I miss my fridge with filtered ice/water despenser. :(
SueR Sorry, Phil... I don't eat a lot of cilantro and will typically substitute parsley (which I always have on hand) when a recipe calls for it, rather than spending $2.99 on a big bunch of it when I only need a tablespoon or two. That said, I HAVE eaten it many times and don't recall an adverse reaction to its flavor.
Growing up, I loved the taste of the tap water at Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop's house in Pen Argyl, PA.... very minerally in a pleasant way.
I would have responded sooner but the picture of Iman eating Cilantro in order to get rid of water ass-taste really took me off-center, more than usual :>) How does one compare water to ass? Just don't want to see that test.
Meanwhile......my statement "I use a fridge filter that removes contaminants at a Poland Springs level" seemingly was construed to mean 'taste" comparison when it meant contaminants.
Most bottled water goes through one or more purification processes: Distillation, Micron Filtration, Ozonation, Reverse Osmosis, and Ultraviolet (UV) light. Bottled water is generally "more pure" with less contaminants than tap water.
Spring Water is NOT purified by these processes and instead is deemed safe through constant testing at the source. Evian and Poland Springs are spring waters. Evian is quite tasty IMO.
That's what I meant: contaminant levels and, my bad, I thought Poland did use purification. Obviously I don't mind the purification processes, especially the UV radiation. But that's what I meant. I take well water and put it through one heck of a filter to remove any possible containments, and I drink up. In other places, I get a hint of chlorine and I don't sip.
Like Pizza, not only does water have differing tastes to different individuals (whether you notice or not), it also has "feeling" as in smooth, silky, etc. Given the right chemical address, I can make my pool water "sweet," which is a smooth, silky, buoyant feeling (not a taste which would be chlorine in my case). Taste is highly subjective. For me Deer Park Water tastes really bad because I grew up peeing in the woods there. Baggage aftertaste... :>) I do enjoy an Evian but is it the taste or the allure of the French Alps? I mean a true "natural spring" is surface water which is, yech…. in need of purification...…(I'm pretty sure they are not surface skimming anymore.)
Evian and Poland Springs use no purification, unusual amongst bottled waters. While I like Evian's "taste" more, I like Poland Spring's and even Nestle, Shoprite, which is probably purified tap water but the later two less. But my well water taste more like Spring Water than bottled even after the purification filter.
I really hate HUMA water and just don't drink it. Of course I hate most city water except NYC. Proof is in the bagels!
Taste is taste: my beloved European FIL used to describe aste differences as "my mother used to blow her nose with two bricks." Each to his own :>) Even Iassman :>)
Don't drink the water
Don't drink the water
There's liquid ass in the water
Don't drink the water
Bug3:
The lawsuit that you referenced (from 2017), first of all, was based on allegations and was not determined as FACT. Secondly, the lawsuit was dismissed in 2018 but they were allowed to refile if they cared to due to their paperwork not being correct. As of today, I don't see a new lawsuit filed, although I may be wrong so if anyone else knows then please advise.
People file lawsuits all the time. It doesn't mean it's legit just because they say so. Plus Poland Spring is not the only water bottle company to be sued for one reason or another.
Nobody seems to care about the poison in plastic bottles that seeps into the water or soda that is in them..Glass bottled water tastes so much fresher
Bug3....how do you know what people care about or not? You certainly don't know what I care about.
Stop trying to walk away from your original post which was about a lawsuit that no longer exists. That's what some of us are responding to. Nothing more.
Im talking about bottled water tasting bad...i said poland spring comes from high volume wells and it does...the days of real spring water are long gone...you can read their website and live in fantasy land but the truth is its tap water
HMUA water also comes from a high volume well fed by...gasp..underground spring just like...gasp. poland springs..HMUA has to distribute theirs thus they need to add chlorine
Bug 3 - I was commenting on your lawsuit link - my point was that people file lawsuits everyday for all kinds of reasons. This particular lawsuit was not settled, yet you referenced it as being your proof. I don't live in fantasy land but perhaps you should take a look at where you live because I never said Poland Springs was guilty or innocent and as a matter of fact, I don't even drink their water so I have nothing to gain or lose here. Check yourself next time before you assume.
Have a good night!
I can't imagine anyone striving to get water from a surface spring.
If you want lots of water, you will pump it one way or another.
"HMUA has to distribute theirs thus they need to add chlorine"
Everyone who sells water, distributes water. Some have to worry about plastic bottle contaminants, some about piping contaminants. But HUMA puts a heck of a lot more than Chlorine in their water, Poland Spring, Evian, and the rest put nothing in their water.
Mine is better yet; clean from the well, sediment filtered out first, then many other contaminants filtered, not chemically altered, out, and then into my belly!!!
Bug3 "i said poland spring comes from high volume wells and it does"
That's not what your original comment was at all. Original comment below.
"Poland Spring is filtered tap water...the real spring shut down when nestle bought them out"
Then you followed up with a frivolous lawsuit that was thrown out as evidence.
"HMUA has to distribute theirs thus they need to add chlorine" Yes and that's why it tastes and smells horrible. You have one direct form the spring, and then you have treated with chemicals. You are trying to make them comparable but they just aren't.
Umm HMUA uses the same kind of water Poland Springs uses..poland springs filters theirs thus filtered tap water
Sure, at some level, water is watwr. Yes, they are both wet. That’s where the similarity ends.
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