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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Alaina Demopoulos

Do New Yorkers really have ‘the champagne of tap waters’?

A hand holds a glass beneath a running tap.
‘Our tap water is the envy of the entire globe,’ said the mayor, Eric Adams, in announcing the changes. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

No city believes in its exceptionalism quite like New York City. Whether they’re talking about corner stores or mayoral scandals, New Yorkers believe everything there is just better. Even the water claims an almost mythic status, with both locals and experts describing it as the “champagne of tap waters”.

New York tap water is unfiltered – the largest drinking water system in the US where this is the case. That’s because the water quality from the Catskills is high enough to meet state guidelines without the need for human-made filtration.

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