The Top 10 Tapwater Cities In America

What makes a great glass of water? A pristine source, plus careful testing and high-tech filtration and treatment.

by Michael Park, for Rodale's Organic Life

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New York City

More than 1 billion daily gallons of sweet, mineral-rich water travels over 125 miles from carefully guarded Catskill Mountains reservoirs.

 

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Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Pulled from aquifers and treated with chlorine, fluoride, and phosphate, the silky, clean sip topped the American Water Works Association (AWWA) 2010 taste test.

 

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Chicago

Moderately hard Lake Michigan water is filtered through carbon and sand for a clean-tasting drink.

 

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Denver

Fed by Rocky Mountains snowmelt, this water's brisk taste is mineral and grassy.

 

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Manchester, New Hampshire

The soft Lake Massabesic water, purified with ozone, has earned kudos from the Partnership for Safe Water for its quality.

 

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Fort Collins, Colorado

Mountain snowmelt and the Cache La Poudre River are coal-filtered and chlorine-treated for a crisp, fresh sip.

 

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Greenville, South Carolina

This Southern city's smooth-tasting supply hails from a pristine, 26,000-acre area of the Blue Ridge foothills.

 

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Silverdale, Washington

The deep Green Mountain aquifer is so pure that the rainwater-fresh H2O can be consumed untreated.

 

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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Pumped from six manmade lakes, then filtered and treated with ozone, this neutral-tasting stuff won the AWWA contest in 2007 and 2013.

 

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Louisville, Kentucky

Sand and gravel filtration and hundreds of daily tests ensure that even water from the not-so-untouched Ohio River flows from taps sweet and clean.

Go to water.epa.gov/drink/local for more information on your local taps.

This article was originally published on Rodale's Organic Life.

More from Rodale's Organic Life:

How Clean Is Your Drinking Water?

10 Ways You're Polluting Water Without Realizing It

The Dangerous Thing That's Ending Up In Your Drinking Water

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