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1. Do you like the taste of tap water?

If you are like most people, your answer will probably will be, “no.” Survey after survey finds that most people say they do not like the taste of their tap water - hence, the explosion in the multibillion-dollar bottled water industry. Yet taste test after taste test indicates that most people actually can't taste the difference between bottled water and tap water, despite the fact that bottled water costs about 600 times more than tap water.

2. Why drink bottled water?

There are many reasons people drink bottled water. However, many studies show that bottled water is no healthier than tap water, and most customers can't taste the difference. The presence of chlorine, a disinfectant that ensures that tap water is safe from bacteria, is a reason people often give for disliking tap water - but chlorine is easily removed from tap water by putting the water in a bottle and refrigerating it.

3. What does Anaheim do to maintain good tasting water?

In Anaheim, we take several actions to ensure the water delivered to homes and businesses is of the highest quality. For example, we have replaced or relined hundreds of miles of old pipelines in recent years and established a systematic approach for flushing the system. In addition, we are installing new, deeper wells and removing older shallow wells, and we use ozone at our Lenain Treatment Plant, which helps eliminate taste and odor problems in treated water. While we do add chlorine to ensure the water remains bacteria-free, we add the lowest possible amount that will fulfill our objective.

You might be interested to know that, in a blind taste test conducted by the United States Conference of Mayors in 2007, a panel of judges named Anaheim Public Utilities' tap water one of the five best tasting in the nation.

4. Can home plumbing cause taste and odor problems?

Yes, home plumbing can cause taste and odor problems in several ways. For example, corroded pipes may leach copper into the water, water heaters can allow hydrogen-sulfide-forming bacteria to produce “rotten-egg” odors and water filters that remove chlorine can inadvertently allow bacteria to grow on the dispenser. In almost all cases where Anaheim water quality staff visit a home, taste and odor problems are due to home plumbing issues.

5. Can Anaheim help if I have water taste issues?

If you suspect that your water taste issues are due to Anaheim’s water system, we invite you to call our Water Quality Lab at 714-765-4556. We will investigate to help you determine the source of the problem.