Is tap water healthy?

What is tap water? - Compared to mineral water

Tap water is water that reaches the consumer through pipes and pipes. The quality of tap water can be determined in Drinking water and Industrial water divide. Therefore tap water is not automatically drinking water. This means that even non-potable water from the tap is considered tap water.

Compared to bottled mineral water, the legal situation is different. Suppliers of mineral water often advertise with proof of quality from well-known institutes. However, there are no such strict requirements for mineral and table water as in the Drinking Water Ordinance.

However, the quality of drinking water also depends on the quality of the supply systems. Older buildings and poorly maintained installations run the risk of contamination along the way.

Nevertheless, the pollutant content in tap water is usually lower than, for example, in some types of mineral water. There is also the suspicion that plasticizers from plastic bottles could get into the mineral water.

• We can therefore say that tap water is water from the tap and a sensible solution compared to commercially available alternatives.

Why does tap water have to be healthy?

Every organism needs water to live and develop. This applies to us humans as well as to the animals and plants we care for. Because this need is primarily met by tap water, it must always be of high quality. But what does that actually mean?

Importance for plants

Basically, there is no water shortage in Germany. But if the weather stays warm and dry for longer, the vegetation also suffers. This is particularly critical for agriculture, as it relies on a lot of tap water. A consistent water supply helps the plants absorb nutrients and develop optimally.

The plants also absorb nutrients from the soil with the water. The water also helps plants form stable structures. That's why flowers collapse and dry out if you don't water them often enough. With the life energy, the elasticity and freshness are also lost.

Nutritious and solid soil is very important. But without enough water, plants cannot absorb nutrients or produce chlorophyll. In order for plants to thrive, they need the right location and optimal conditions. They couldn't survive without water

Importance in our everyday life

Tap water must at least be safe for people and animals to drink. But it has to do much more in our everyday lives. It is not only used as food, but is used in many areas. These tasks range from cleaning and cooking to industrial manufacturing and medical use. A surprising number of processes are based on tap water.

These are a few tasks where tap water is used in everyday life:

• Cooking and preparing meals and groceries
• Washing and caring for textiles and clothing
• Cleaning and maintenance of objects and facilities
• Personal hygiene and personal care

In addition, a lot of tap water is used in industry. Not to forget that hydropower generates electricity and heat.

Cooking, personal hygiene and cleaning are important tasks for everyone. These can only be implemented if: enough clean water is available. Ultimately, tap water must be healthy and impeccable so that daily consumption does not lead to health problems. To ensure that this is the case everywhere in Germany, corresponding laws apply.

Is tap water healthy? - Laws, controls and quality

Requirements for healthy tap water

Tap water is considered the most and best controlled food in Germany. The “Ordinance on the Quality of Drinking Water for Human Use”, or Drinking Water Ordinance (TVO) for short, forms the legal basis. Compared to European law, the German rules are sometimes even stricter.

The Drinking Water Ordinance determines biological, chemical and physical parameters for tap water. These guidelines must be adhered to and constantly monitored. If the values ​​are too high, the regulation also describes how and with what the water can be improved. This affects the suppliers because they take over the logistics and processing of the water supply. The health authorities have control and supervision over this.

The regulation covers the following aspects to ensure that tap water remains healthy:

• Nature and properties of tap water through limit values
• Specifications regarding the type and extent of processing and disinfection
• Obligations of suppliers and those responsible for water supply
• Tasks for monitoring by the health department
• Information on measures to be taken in the event of criminal and administrative offenses

Controls for healthy tap water

To ensure that the requirements of the Drinking Water Ordinance are met, laboratories and testing centers constantly check water samples. The results of the investigations are published once a year. For this purpose, the health authorities report the data received, which is entered into a central drinking water database as drinking water monitoring.

The data obtained is analyzed and used to evaluate the quality of drinking water. The federal states, the Federal Environment Agency and the relevant EU commissions then work with the results of the comparisons.

Consumers can view federal drinking water quality reports. The states further break down the data according to their administrative borders. In detail, however, it is the information from regional suppliers that is informative for consumers. However, critical consumers ask themselves whether and to what extent this information is reliable or sufficient. Can consumers possibly test for themselves whether the tap water is healthy?

Check tap water as a consumer

Although consumers can test for themselves whether their drinking water is healthy, the options are unfortunately limited. There is certainly criticism of the official laws and the associated controls. In addition to lead and copper, other heavy metals, aluminum, fertilizers, industrial chemicals and drug residues are feared.

A simple test method for consumers are so-called indicator tests. These are available as test strips and can cover individual parameters or serve as a multi-test. Drinking water test strips include the most common bacterial contaminants, nitrates and nitrites. They can also measure pH values, limescale and chlorine content. However, the possible more questionable substances cannot be detected with this.

Another way to check is to send a sample of drinking water to an independent laboratory. This is very reliable and can serve as helpful information. However, this analysis is quite expensive and has a certain catch. Even if the conditions in the laboratory are better, only certain common parameters are examined there. If you want more accurate results, you have to have a lot of time and money, and above all you have to specify the parameters you are looking for yourself.

So it is not easy to get a clear, complete and insightful answer as to whether one's drinking water is healthy or perhaps not. That sounds difficult, but can't the problem simply be solved with mineral water?

Tap water or mineral water? - An amazing result

The thought makes sense: mineral water is not exactly cheap and has to be brought in specially. But the quality is excellent and consistent. Is that really true? Unfortunately no. In fact, the much-touted mineral water cannot keep up with tap water. And not just because of the almost immoral idea of ​​selling vital water from the ground for money. A number of reasons show that mineral water has difficulty keeping up with tap water.

Eco-balance and sustainability

Many consumers want drinking water to be healthy. But they also want sustainable concepts and fair prices. Tap water is convincing both in terms of sustainability and the ecological balance. The supply and infrastructure in this country are very well positioned and are constantly monitored.

Our tap water comes primarily from groundwater and dams, and more rarely from bank filtrate or river water. The connection works through short distances and direct connections. This saves money and causes few emissions. It's completely different with mineral water. This not only has to be extracted and processed (de-iron removal, carbonation, bottling). It is then packaged and transported far away. This leads to exhaust gases, costs money and pollutes the environment with packaging waste and tire wear.

Availability and costs

Tap water can also be more convincing than mineral water in these respects. As already mentioned, our drinking water comes from collections that are as regionally available as possible. A close-knit network of suppliers and infrastructure offers reliable availability. The city of Berlin alone is supplied by 9 well-distributed waterworks. This system has proven to be effective and cost-effective.

This is completely different with mineral water, which involves effort and waste during preparation. Not to mention some very questionable large corporations that consume resources for profit and gain. So enjoying tap water doesn't just mean practical and comfortable furnishings. Tap water is also the best way to prevent overly powerful corporations from making a staple food richer.

Healthy or not?

At this point, mineral and table water should actually be convincing. After all, the providers advertise the outstanding, special properties of their products. Not to mention that an entire industry of selling medicinal water and water treatments can survive.

But drinking halls and spa drinking establishments have not lasted for certain reasons. They used to be very popular and were very popular. But medicinal water with sulfur, uranium or other “special” ingredients could not establish itself. This is also where the catch comes into play when it comes to supposedly outstandingly high-quality mineral and table water.

To what extent special content really helps cannot be said reliably. However, it is clear that there are no such strict requirements for mineral water as for tap water in the Drinking Water Ordinance. For this reason alone it can be said that tap water is healthier.

Tap water is healthy – opportunities for improvement

It seems so simple and convenient. Simply turn on the tap and you'll get fresh, clear, healthy drinking water. We said that tap water is the cheapest, most sustainable and best choice in comparison. And basically it's that simple. The moderate water costs ensure that the infrastructure is maintained and supplies are ensured.

However, it is also the responsibility of consumers to ensure that this important food is not wasted or rendered unusable. The most important thing to remember is that no stagnant or old water is consumed. In summer or during a longer break, the drinking water in the pipes can heat up. This promotes the formation of germs and pathogens.

In this country, “using tap water” is very straightforward. During the warm season and when faucets have not been used for a long time, the water should be left running for a moment. If it is noticeably cold again after a few seconds, it can be used.
In addition, you may also want to consider additional cleaning or filtering.

Is tap water healthy then? – Filtering improves and makes things safer

Despite TVO, it can happen that substances are contained that are not wanted. Depending on the stress or personal ambitions, various methods with varying degrees of complexity can be used. These range from simple filters with individual properties to clever systems with extensive functions.

The selection can be made easier if, for example, there are special requirements for the use of tap water. Especially for medical applications, care should be taken to use particularly pure and absolutely hygienic water. In regions where the tap water is not soft enough to make the perfect coffee or tea, this aspect can come to the fore.

Make tap water healthy – upgrade and improve it

Fresh, clean and pure tap water is the ideal basis for improving drinking water according to your own ideas and wishes. Most consumers are already familiar with products such as soda makers and flavoring agents as a cheap alternative to expensive ready-made products from the supermarket.
In addition to high-quality filtering in your kitchen, water revitalization is also worth considering: tap water can be optimized and revitalized to increase its health benefits. These options offer individual benefits to optimize personal concerns and challenges through a healthy foundation.

Take a look at our offer to upgrade tap water. Our water revitalization section also offers innovative concepts and ideas. You can find these and other products in our Online shop find.

Tap water is healthy – conclusion

Tap water is healthy, that can be said without reservation everywhere in Germany. Nevertheless, there is legitimate criticism of the supply system. In addition, the transparency of the test results is a trust relationship with a challenge.

However, what is disappointing for many consumers is the fact that expensive mineral water cannot meet the requirements of tap water. On the contrary, many consumers and consumer advocates even consider mineral water to be questionable.

Water and tap water are therefore always current issues in terms of quality and health. To make tap water even healthier, you can convince yourself of our product solutions.