Organic Mutant

Living in a semi-arid land like San Diego has made me conscious of potable water as a precious and scarce natural resource. Growing up in NorCal, I remember drinking water from the faucet or even the hose without a second thought. Since we moved to San Diego 17 years ago and finding the drinking water here unpalatable, I have drunk bottled water. In recent years, I have become more aware of the problems with drinking bottled water from the issue of disposing of all the bottles to issues of transporting all those bottles to emerging issues of contaminating the very water we’re paying to transport with chemicals leaching from plastic bottles. It’s not just water.

Since San Diego tap water comes from a variety of sources, a number of additives are used to counteract the contaminants founds in the water even after treatment. One of these — I think chloramines — leave a stale, chemical taste in the water (something I did not miss when I visited SF a few weeks ago). Kiosks with filters that are hooked up to municipal water pipes seem to eliminate most of this flavor, rendering the water mostly palatable. The little filter we keep in the refrigerator works for most beverages like tea, soup, or, well, actually nothing. I start gritting my teeth if I have to drink it plain. The fact of the matter is that I’d like to have some type of appliance at home that I can use to filter tap water to make it as enjoyable as I perceive our old brand of bottled water to be.

My requirements are simple. Something that will fit on the counter, something that does not require batteries or electricity, something that will take our slightly dodgy local water and turn it into something cleaner with a lighter flavor. Oh. My. Dorsh. I though I would google a few filters, read some comparison sheets, and blimbo-bango make a decision and buy a new little filter. The filter industry is widely variable and the people who buy them and sell them rely on all sorts of hyperbole to push their product. In addition, I found a subculture of message boards focused on a ‘back to the land’ movement, based on a widespread belief that society as we know it is on the verge of an imminent breakdown. I’m not going to provide any links because I am trying to forget some of the stuff I read. It’s out there and relatively easy to find.

We are still functioning under our stopgap measure: going to the local water kiosk and filling our plastic bottles with reverse osmosified water. We’ve tried this many times or the last several years. Every time thus far this system breaks down after a few months due to memory laspses, exhaustion, and lack of dedication. I am still unclear as to which filter I will eventually buy as my old standbys have failed me in this effort. The appliance I’m looking for is a niche product, something between a whole house filter and a little pitcher filter. In the meantime, I am reading up on filters, learning the lingo, and trying to stay far away from the cultural rabbit hole.

*a quote that does not inspire confidence from the 2006 Annual Water Quality Report