Is drinking water in Poland good?

I dont know about good but it does the job. We had a scare last year when the council bought us around 500 litres of water for FREE and stating that the local water was contaminated with a harmful bacteria. I had been drinking plenty of it. Still here though.

I landed in Warsaw a month back and everybody has been warning me against drinking from the tap!!
I buy water in 5 litre bottles
Recently heard of some springs/wells in the city where I can fill my bottles.
This I was told is safe... does anyone have a list of such places

I bet drinking from the tap bacame quite popular for that month...?

It always was in Scotland ;)

Vodka on tap? LOL

If you are having problems with the tap water - why not just connect a water to the main pipe? I used to have problems drinking the tap water when I lived in Costa Rica, so I connected a water filter and afterwards it was fine. Would the same thing not work in Poland?

You're lucky. I remember the tap water in Kalisz in the 1980. Deep brown!! In those days it was either drink the stuff or die of thirst: vodka having a dehydrating effect wasn't an option. What did it taste of? Iron, which probably (hopefully) accounted for its colour; well that was what the red authorities told us, and who ever believed them?

I spent 4 months drinking out the tap in Kraków and I was fine.

I don't know of too many places but Wrocław and Brzeg have really nasty water. It is so beacause it is drawn from a river (diverted Nysa Klodzka waters). When I lived in Wroclaw i used to bring drinking water from my family home. I have once heard that the tap water in Częstochowa is pretty good (coming from some deep wells). So you have to ask locals on the quality of the tap water. Generally safer to drink bottled water (not necessarily mineral - as this may be quite expensive - but some are really excellent) as bottled water almost uniformly comes from deep wells that are pretty clean if not pristine. (Well actually it is hard to find really pristine waters these days)

Quoting dtaylor: "ive been drinking tap water here for a long time, im ok......though my 3rd arm itches" If you've grown a third arm as the result of drinking tap water it's a sure sign of their Catholic god telling you it's high time to boil and filter that brown stuff that comes out of taps.

You could say that about Glasgow (and scotland it is common knowledge that the tap water is safe and nice), in the West End the water is from Loch Katrine so that's nice. In parts of the south and the north west, you get your water from Loch Lomond and that's awesome tasting water. However in the City Centre you get resevoir water which is rank and I wouldn't drink it.

Its fine to drink the water. That kind of paranoia is why a lot of people shouldn't bother travelling! After all, alot of food you eat is washed or cooked in this water as well in restaurants etc.

I had someone come into the bar one morning after they were in the night before rather drunk and they had the cheek to complain:

Customer: I think there is a problem with your ice machine filter.
Me *thinking that they had found something in an ice cube*: I'm dreadfully sorry, what do you think seems to be the problem?
Customer: Well you put ice in all my drinks last night and I am feeling slightly naucious this morning...are you sure that it is properly filtering the tap water, I have heard that's not good to drink?

Me: Well sir, contrary to popular belief, the tap water is quite safe, I have been drinking it for the past 3 months, plus our ice machine is serviced monthly to ensure optimum cleanliness. Could it perhaps have been something you ate over the last few days? Or perhaps jetlag, that can cause stomach upsets.

Customer: Yes, that must be it. *hastily leaves*

How to call someone hungover politely :)

There is a company here in America called "Polish Spring" (the water isn't from Poland, of course) with a picture of a crystal clear lake and a thick forest around it. I'd assume Polish water is great just based on the fact that an American company uses Polish water to advertise it's product.

"Polish Spring" comes from Michigan I believe, just purified. Might as well drink it from the tap. It's just a lovely marketing touch.

I buy Nalęczowianka instead. Imported from Poland. Really.

To balance the amount of American stuff that falls in Poland.

I'm not allowed to drink Slough tapwater. They insist I drink bottled stuff instead. I know the geology and hydrology of the area quite well, and I'm reasonably satisfied by this country's safety standards, so why pay extra for such a basic commodity which is so easily available from a tap. Putting water in land-fill fodder and shipping it around the world by burning petroleum just seems like a waste.

I had been warned about the varying levels of quality of tapwater in Poland, but only after I had visited a couple of times and drunk tapwater (although I drank a lot more beer and vodka, tea and coffee).

Please tell me you are joking.

osiol you should research more on communal waste burning
I have read in the internet that so called 'environmetalist' have (with huge media cooperation) demonised the idea of burning waste, while in controlled process (high burning temperatures) they don't produce much harmful substances (not more than coal burning) and decisevely don't produce dioxins in any significant quantity. There is some American research on that in the web.

as for the land-fill fodder arguement - the plastic can be recycled (it is not difficult if it is used for water solely)
the water can well be sold in glass bottles as well if there is more care in the customers and some effort made to manage the turnaroud of the bottles (mineral water has been sold long before we got familiar with plastic bottles here in Poland)

btw I don't ridicule issues raised by the greens. It is sometimes that they go over the top. And there are media there to brainwash and program people into believing in this or that. I think this is the case with waste burning - I guess it is safe to burn some plastics including those that are most commonly used.

'shipping it around the world' - well the water they market (e.g. Fiji water) must be actually very clean (never tried it though) and yes I drank water in South London (I guess it comes from the Thames valley beds) and it is crap. Tesco table water is not that brilliant at all but it did not make me sick from the start. Some people must be more sensitive to the taste/purity of the water. That's why the market for those exotic waters ever emerged (first for any pure and tasty water). Then it must have somewhat turned into a snobbish hype i guess.

btw. mineral water in England (actually ever bought just few brands) is very very expensive (compared to Polish circumstances)

youre right it is disgusting tastes of bleach, I am sure Polish water better

Hmm, when im in Poland (Warsaw) I allways go to a well and filling up some canisters or something with much L of water :) it can only last like some few days but, I use it to mostly everything so it's oke :) (I could go with my dog at the same time wohoo!)

While in Norway I allways drink tapped water tho, it's so nice and clean :D
First time I got to Poland I got surprised like woot? I can't drink from the sink? Buhuu! :P

Is it true that people in Norway take fluoride tablets every day "for healthy teeth etc"? That's what a Norwegian told me. Tell me it ain't true. London water is being fluoridated in secret, so not long before Poland copies, as it copies everything Western.

Fluoride is poisonous in large amounts.
Toothpaste could seriously injure a child if swallowed in large amounts, that is why you spit it out.
London does not put fluoride into their tap water (hence the bad teeth;)
But they do put fluoride in the water in Ireland.
I think that is the reason i have never had a problem with my teeth, no fillings, no nothing.

The fluoride will make your teeth and bones brittle. It's only a matter of time. Spitting toothpaste out of your mouth is no solution. There's always some fluoride that remains. The reason fluoride, a by-product of aluminium manufacture, is in toothpaste (and Norwegian tablets?) is that it's very expensive to destroy. So they sell that poison on instead, and it's our bodies that gets rid of the stuff. Happy brushing. How do you know London doesn't fluoridate the water if it's done on the quiet? My information is that fluoridation laws have been quietly passed in London, and that the mass-medication is on.

I have a huge problem with Polish water!!..Being from an Asian background the water in Poland has nowhere enough bugs in it!

what nonsense Sean BM my teeth are exquisite and I am from London..:}

Fluoride in tap water does nothing for teeth. It stops nasty things living in the water though.

Try this at home: have a glass of water. How much even touches your teeth? The stuff you actually swallow just fluoridates your body generally, thus being of no benefit to teeth.

It stops nasty things living in the water though.

So does boiling, or those tablets obviously, if you're not Ray Mears.

no benefit to teeth.

What's the bet that they just don't fluoridate in his area? He's not bitter, like the water. :)

Try this at home

Never encourage people to try things at home mate, this isn't a collateral damage thread. Unless I've been moved to Random Chat of course, in which case, carry on. :)

Ofcourse, if u r ready to buy the xpensive one

No, I have drunk. Present perfect. drink, drank, drunk


Then why do half of the city have to go to special water points outside their homes?

In Warmia-Mazury the water is sometimes declared unfit to drink, I believe due to algae (or I could be being wound up).

I just drank some Polish water for the well in my garden...tastes fine to me..... Arrrggghhhhhhh...!

I watched an episode by Penn and Teller called "Bullsh*t". They tested expensive bottled water and water from a garden hose on restaurant patrons. They all picked the hose water :)

Naturally you get sick from local water when you travel. If you're not going to be there long, bottled water is a safe bet. But if you are staying long term, your're gonna have to get used to the local "bugs" sooner or later. I've seen test kits for heavy metals, but if it comes out of the tap, it shouldn't kill you. Just ill for a couple of days :)