Unveiling The Tampa Bay Area Tap Water Mystery
Unveiling The Tampa Bay Area Tap Water Mystery. Tap water is a daily essential for most of us, but have you ever wondered why the taste can vary across different regions? According to Tampa Bay Water, a wholesale regional utility, tap water taste is influenced by the treatment process and source water combination of different cities and counties around the Tampa Bay area. The utility provides drinking water to Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, plus Tampa, St. Petersburg and New Port Richey, and uses a blend of three sources to provide water to the region. The mix of the three sources could be slightly different depending on where it’s distributed, and each source has different mineral content, which could potentially impact how tap water tastes.
Each city and county in the region has a different approach to water treatment and distribution, which could also impact the taste of tap water. Clearwater, for example, manages and supplies its own water utilities and draws most of its water from wellfields it operates that draw from the Floridan Aquifer. The city uses reverse osmosis to treat a majority of its water and then adds pre-treated filtered water to create a mix. Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Oldsmar, Belleair and Plant City also manage and supply their own water utilities. Each of these cities uses different treatment processes and combinations of source water, which could potentially impact the taste of their tap water.
Despite the different taste of tap water across the Tampa Bay area, Tampa Bay Water and other local utilities are committed to ensuring that the water meets or exceeds state and federal standards. While a filter system like a Brita could improve the taste of tap water, it is safe to drink tap water without one. Understanding where your tap water comes from could help you protect it and potentially conserve it, according to Brandon Moore, Tampa Bay Water public communications manager. TBT
