March 25, 2004
Water
After about a couple of weeks of drinking American water I usually stop tasting the chlorine that is added and start liking the water just as well as the hard Danish water. I am usually only reminded of the great difference when I have visitors from Denmark and when we have to get bottled water because they don't want to drink it, even thought I reassure them it will taste just fine after a while. Fact that after a year and a half I cannot taste the chlorine at all and I know that I have to get use to the Danish water when I get home; it tastes metallic for a while.
I always wondered why there was such a difference in taste and why the American water had to have so much chlorine added that you can actually taste it. This week, on my road trip I finally got an answer. At least for the State of California's water. Here water is transported through huge aquaducts and because only little parts of Northern California have a natural water source, it has to travel far, both to the Bay Area and the LA area. It is transported openly and to keep bacteria and micro organisms from building up, a mix between chlorine and ammoniac, chloramines are added as one of the last parts of the disinfection process. In Denmark on the other hand, the ground is mostly calcium based and because we have plenty of water, it is pretty much pumped up and lead directly (and most importantly enclosed) to our taps. That diminishes the need for adding chemicals.
All this I was informed of in this wonderful exhibition area ('visitor center') at Pyramid Lake, where I stopped on my way back from Oakland. It was very informative and very empty, perhaps due to the fact that they didn't serve food but only water. And I guess I just have to get used to the Danish non-chemical water taste when I return.
Posted by Louise at March 25, 2004 05:15 PM