You often notice it as a Dutch person abroad. That the tap water smells or tastes so different. That is why we as Dutch people often buy bottled water on holiday. But how many plastic bottles do people use? And this is completely environmentally friendly?
In Spain it is Ministry of Health responsible for the quality of tap water in Spain. They also have to take into account the strict European regulations. According to them, tap water in Spain is 99.5% drinkable and you can therefore drink tap water. However, this does not mean that it tastes good. We ourselves prefer not to drink tap water (without filter) in Spain. Are you going on holiday soon or do you want to emigrate to Spain? Read on to find out why this is the case.
Tap water quality in Spain
If you have been on holiday in Spain before, you will know what the tap water in Spain is like. potable water tastes and smells. It is notorious for its chlorine smell. This smell is caused by the fact that in Spain chlorine is added to the water to purify it. With chlorine they make the water safe for the inhabitants to drink.
Is the tap water in Spain safe to drink?
Ultimately, chlorine is added to the water to kill bacteria. So to make the tap water bacteria-free. This can do no harm, because it is of course controlled drinking water. And as mentioned before, it is controlled by strict European regulations. The chlorine smell is not always there, but when it is there, it can sometimes be an unpleasant smell, because we are not used to this in the Netherlands.
Buying bottled water
Because many people find this chemical taste or chemical smell unpleasant, bottled water or often jerry cans are also used a lot in Spain. In the Netherlands, we generally buy fewer bottles from the supermarket, because our tap water does not have an unpleasant aftertaste. That is why Spain has hundreds of brands of bottled water in the supermarket compared to the Netherlands. Unfortunately, these bottles, especially the large ones, are still made of plastic. And of course, this is not very good for the environment. So buying those bottles will not only harm your wallet, but also the environment. You really don't want that, do you?
Environmentally friendly water bottles
Unfortunately, all these bottles of water create a lot of waste, because they are often plastic bottles. This is not very environmentally friendly. Also, lugging those large 5 to 6 liter bottles around every week is not ideal. You always see these large bottles in the soft drink departments of Spanish supermarkets.
Using a water filter
That is why people nowadays prefer to buy special water filters to purify their own tap water. Such a filter cleans the water by filtering chlorine, bacteria or heavy metals. It also removes the smell and taste of chlorine.
Own experience
From our own experience, it has become clear that tap water in Spain does indeed smell and taste different. We can describe the sometimes unpleasant smell as chlorine. This also concerns the taste. This is not harmful at all, so if you can get used to it, this is a great solution.
Buying all those bottles of water every time is of course not good for the environment. Think of all those mountains of waste from plastic bottles of water. Of course nobody is waiting for that. You can of course also buy glass bottles, but these are often much more expensive and there are often no large 5 liter water bottles. These are still all made of plastic.
That is why it is wise to choose a special filter. You then have a device that cleans your tap water without chemical components and you can filter your tap water in a safe way. You no longer taste and smell the chlorine. Yes, it is a bit more expensive to purchase, but buying plastic bottles of water every time is also not good for the environment and ultimately not good for your own wallet. When you have such a filter installed, you will no longer notice the smell and taste. It is a one-time investment that you can enjoy for a very long time.
Finally
As you have read, the countries abroad are unfortunately not the Netherlands. In fact, in our little country we are quite spoiled with the tap water that we take for granted. Only abroad do we often realize how good we have it.
If you can't get used to tap water in Spain, you can always choose a water filter instead of buying bottled water.
It might be wise to do some further research into this yourself so that you can see for yourself what you prefer.
