Florida Tap Water...?

I've been pretty much ill for around 3 weeks now, been in and out of this and that doctor, a visit to the ER, stomach specialists and so on, I've been on this medication and that. I've also been told to cut out this that and the other from my diet, only to find that for week in and out I've had the most ghastly diarrhea. It occured to me this morning that after a bout of gastro-enteritis that the only thing which has remained constant is my drinking water. My husband insisted that the tap water was safe but I never felt it was, I just gave in because he kept on groaning about the money I 'wasted' on bottled water.

Tell me....is Florida tap water really safe to drink? It doesn't even smell like our water back home if you understand me. And it's really hard too. Bad lathers when washing, lots of limescale when boiling.

If it wasn't.all the district round you would have been affected.Sorry to hear about your illness and hope you feel better soon

Sorry to hear you've not been feeling well but, as Heather has said, half of the area would be at the doctor's if it was anything to do with the water. Sounds as if you've picked up a tummy bug and hope you're feeling better soon.

Florida tap water is perfectly safe to drink! If you don't like the smell, then get one of those huge plastic bottles from the supermarket and fill it up really cheaply and keep it in the fridge.

Florida water is also very soft I would say as things lather up much quicker than they do at home and there's no limescale in the kettle either. You sound as if you're in a different Florida to the one I know as I don't recognise the description! [msneek]

The water that comes out of the taps in our villa has been declared safe to drink by the powers that be. No, it does not taste and smell the same as the water in our taps at home. The water in Haines City, like our water in Chelmsford, has fluroide in it. Unlike our water in Chelmsford, which is very hard and does cause a lot of limescale, as Blott says the water in Florida is soft and we do not have the limescale problems. The taste of water depends on what minerals etc it flows through and over for its taste and we have noticed in England that depending on where we are the water tastes different.

Thanks for the feedback everyone...the reason I ask is because the doctor mentioned something about bugs in water and that he'd seen quite a few patients within the last fortnight over the exact same thing and thought it possibly could be due to that. I just didn't take much notice, but now i'm rolling into three weeks of illness I'm wondering should I have listened more carefully? LOL

I don't care what they say I only drink bottled water in Florida, I know its safe but the tap water tastes disgusting[msnscared]

Tap water in Florida is perfectly safe but we only ever drink bottled as we don't like the taste.
As others have said the water is really soft, (my hair will also testify to this[:P])and no limescale anywhere.

There's plenty of limescale but a lot of homes have water filters in place, I don't think mine does - and you're right it DOES taste disgusting.

I always find the tap water (and water in fountains and water displays) in Florida smells a bit odd (sulphury?) so I mainly drink the bottled water which is very cheap in Walmart/Publix and other supermarkets. I have no problems with the water from the drinks dispensers on fridges as it is well filtered and tastes and smells ok.

I agree with Caroline & Lucy,

we use bottled water for drinking tea & coffee etc. I think that if it was the water, then presumably your hubby who drinks tap water would have it too?

I do buy bottles of water just because I don't like the taste of the water from the taps,and I do drink alot of water by itself.
We have never had another health problems or upset tummies with the kids who don't mind drinking the tap water!

Sharon

dont like the water so i buy it from Walmart!![msnwink]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Steve and Dawn
I agree with Caroline & Lucy,

we use bottled water for drinking tea & coffee etc. I think that if it was the water, then presumably your hubby who drinks tap water would have it too?
[/quote]

Well I don't know. I mean sometimes some people catch it, sometimes they don't catch bugs. He's American and I've been saying his stomach is like cast iron and probably built up immunity. Anyway I called the doctor and he said it's not unusual for the water to be contaminated after heavy storms etc.

I'll just buy mine from Publix from now on. Cheers for the replies though.

We always buy bottled water, purely because we do not like the taste or smell of the drinking water. Having said that we buy bottled water here in the Uk too to drink, although we don't use it to make Tea and Coffee, like we do in Florida.[msnsmile2]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Rocco
Well I don't know. I mean sometimes some people catch it, sometimes they don't catch bugs. He's American and I've been saying his stomach is like cast iron and probably built up immunity. Anyway I called the doctor and he said it's not unusual for the water to be contaminated after heavy storms etc.

I'll just buy mine from Publix from now on. Cheers for the replies though.[/quote]That sounds quite wrong!

If the water was contaminated after storms, then the water companies would have to ask the State or County to issue a boil water notice (just like they did last year) and it would be all over the news or risk getting sued by everyone for making them ill!

If you ask the doctor to do a culture, then you'll know what's causing your problem.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Rocco
I've been pretty much ill for around 3 weeks now, been in and out of this and that doctor, a visit to the ER, stomach specialists and so on, I've been on this medication and that. I've also been told to cut out this that and the other from my diet, only to find that for week in and out I've had the most ghastly diarrhea. It occured to me this morning that after a bout of gastro-enteritis that the only thing which has remained constant is my drinking water. My husband insisted that the tap water was safe but I never felt it was, I just gave in because he kept on groaning about the money I 'wasted' on bottled water.

Tell me....is Florida tap water really safe to drink? It doesn't even smell like our water back home if you understand me. And it's really hard too. Bad lathers when washing, lots of limescale when boiling.
[/quote]

I get an upset tum every visit to FL......I have to remember not to have ice in drinks when out for a meal.....that stops it......at my FL home I find the water out our fridge fine.....its filtered.....

The doctors did do a culture and he said that typically the causes of outbreaks like this are the water. Like I said he said that he'd seen several people in the last few days with exactly the same thing. And it is pretty typical apparently that's why after after bad storms they advise you to have Clorox here to add a couple of drops per bucket of water to make it drinkable.

While holidaying in Florida I have been drinking tap water for the past 20 years with no problems. The only tummy upset I had was immediately I reached our villa so it must have been a bug I picked up on the flight over.

Having said that it is probably a sensible precaution, as with any hot country, to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration but go easy on the ice cubes to start with.

In the UK and Florida I always drink bottled water - having a sensitive tum any changes in the water can upset it. Supermarkets own brand bottled water is so cheap now,thats all I use. And my cats drink it too - they wont touch tap water and prefere to drink out the pond if I put tap water down for them!

[msnwink]

Like many posts here I also only drink bottled water too, and even then it has to be mineral water and not spring water[:I] (spring water is just glorified tap water!! apparently).

With regards to upset stomachs. A lot of people arrive in florida and suffer with this for the first few days. This is down to two things. Firstly the long flight can upset you, IE cabin pressure and what it does to your insides, and also the time difference can cause this.

Secondly, is the food. Now, I'm sure that everyone here will agree that the food if FAB in the US. Even though we can get near enough the same things here in the UK as there in the US, it always seems to taste a hundred times better. Why? because of the additives and preservatives used in the US, have you noticed how much longer food stuffs last there before they go off??!!! Not being used to these can irrate your stomach.

Matt

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Matt

Secondly, is the food. Now, I'm sure that everyone here will agree that the food if FAB in the US. Even though we can get near enough the same things here in the UK as there in the US, it always seems to taste a hundred times better. Why? because of the additives and preservatives used in the US, have you noticed how much longer food stuffs last there before they go off??!!! Not being used to these can irrate your stomach.

Matt
[/quote]

You probably have a point there Matt. I can't comment on the additives and preservatives but how many of us try to eat healthily at home then live on burgers, huge steaks, fries, cheesecakes and hardly any veggies or fruit? Lovely but no wonder our poor tummies complain[msnwink]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Matt
Like many posts here I also only drink bottled water too, and even then it has to be mineral water and not spring water[:I] (spring water is just glorified tap water!! apparently).

With regards to upset stomachs. A lot of people arrive in florida and suffer with this for the first few days. This is down to two things. Firstly the long flight can upset you, IE cabin pressure and what it does to your insides, and also the time difference can cause this.

Secondly, is the food. Now, I'm sure that everyone here will agree that the food if FAB in the US. Even though we can get near enough the same things here in the UK as there in the US, it always seems to taste a hundred times better. Why? because of the additives and preservatives used in the US, have you noticed how much longer food stuffs last there before they go off??!!! Not being used to these can irrate your stomach.

Matt
[/quote]

I've only ever had an upset tum in FL.......and I live in the USA...so its not the food...or long fight in my case.......I've only stopped getting it so bad since having my own fridge.....and remembering not to have ice when out......most of the time I have a cast iron gut.....but I've been like this in FL for 13 years or more....its never been bad enough to get in the way of my holiday.....to me its just odd........

It's not the food, I've been living here for a while. I'm used to spending months here at a time, I eat like a horse. But Chrizzy is right, now and again I've suffered with tummy bugs here but this one has been pretty severe. It's also not a flight, I haven't flown anywhere, I live in Florida. I do believe the water does get a bit dodgy here. Could be just my own personal opinion.

I buy bottled water when I go to florida, as the water in our villa has a yukky taste, almost waxy, but I do use it for hot drinks as that disguises the taste!

As for the purity of the water, well, who really can know for sure, whether in florida or the UK for that matter
Shirley

went to Africa once and the natives were drinking water from the river, it didn't seem to do them any harm. Didn't fancy it myself [msnwink]
So i guess it's whatever your used too.


Dave

Once at WDW in the q for a meal and had the guy shout out to the back
"BRIT HERE WANTS NO ICE!"