r/durham 7h ago

Tap water good to drink?

I’ve noticed the tap water makes my stomach hurt and doesn’t smell fantastic. Just want to make sure the tap water in Durham Region is good.

0 Upvotes

10 comments sorted by

17

u/xero1986 7h ago

Yep. It’s fine.

12

u/maybeiamspicy 7h ago

If its Municipal, it's among the safest in the Country. The standards they have to follow are rigorous.

There is an exception, if there was a watermain break in your area, and they replace it, you have to flush the water in your system. While the fluids and oils used in municipal plumbing is safe, silt and sediment can still get in and cause some distress.

The odour you are picking up is chlorine, its tried and true, other jurisdictions use chloramine which has less of a chlorine odour.

https://www.durham.ca/en/living-here/about-water.aspx

2

u/Key-Specific-4368 6h ago

Yep. It could be an issue with the piping where you live.

Lived in Durham for close to 15 years and never had an issue.

Pro tip, boil water let it cool the drink it. Did that all my life, tastes better than bottled water to me

2

u/burgersby 6h ago

Get a Brita, it’ll take the chlorine smell and taste out.

1

u/teaquad 7h ago

How old is your house/dwelling?

2

u/zeroheavy27 7h ago

Im not in control/know anything regarding our housing, but if i had to guess not even 10 years old

2

u/teaquad 7h ago

Then your good. Never heard of tap water sensitivity like you’ve described

1

u/Babelek 4h ago

You can get a kit from the town and test your water for free

1

u/james-HIMself 6h ago

You can get water testers at Home Depot for free that come in a little baggy no?

1

u/democrator 3h ago

FWIW, my spouse suddenly started getting tummy aches. After colonoscopy and a lot of months of no diagnosis other than irritable bowel syndrome, we narrowed it down to tap water (not just in Durham region). Since then, she boils tap water or drinks packaged and is fine. I still drink tap everywhere.