In Germany, you can drink tap water without any worries. “Tap water is the most strictly monitored foodstuff,” say Tübingen’s municipal utilities. They supply around 14,500 households in the city and its surrounding areas with fresh water. So it is purely a matter of taste whether you drink water from the tap or bottled water. Drinking water is, however, far cheaper.
Tübingen is thus, like other towns and villages in Germany, in a privileged position. After all, in many countries you cannot drink water from the tap because it contains viruses, bacteria or pollutants. Elsewhere, whilst it may not make you ill, it tastes awful because it has been heavily chlorinated to disinfect it.
500 tests per year
In Germany, water is regularly tested for 64 substances and microorganisms in accordance with the Drinking Water Ordinance. “We regularly sample Tübingen’s drinking water with over 500 tests a year – at our wells, the storage facilities and the distribution network,” the municipal utilities state. This is more testing than required by law. The limit values are adhered to. Tübingen’s drinking water, with a German hardness of 14 degrees, falls within the mid-range for the urban area. A good three-quarters of Tübingen’s water comes via long-distance pipelines from Lake Constance. The rest comes from groundwater in the Neckar Valley. Both are treated accordingly.
Suitable for baby food
According to the municipal utilities, Tübingen’s drinking water can be used for baby food without restriction and without boiling it first. However, if no water has run from a tap in your own home for a long time – for example, overnight – you should let it run for a moment. This is because taps can release metals into the drinking water if left unused for long periods.
Risk from old pipes
A residual risk to water quality remains nonetheless: the municipal utilities only guarantee water quality up to the property connection. They point out that in older houses where lead pipes are still in use, water quality could be compromised. For those who are concerned, the municipal utilities advise commissioning an analysis from a specialist laboratory. However, this does cost money. The first point of contact is the homeowner.
Further information:
https://www.swtue.de/wasser.html#c26309
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