TL:DR
About 2.6 million Dallas residents and businesses primarily obtain their drinking water from six major lakes in North Texas.
All of Dallas’ water supply comes from Grapevine, Lewisville, Ray Roberts, Ray Hubbard, Tawakoni and Fork. Of the six lakes, Dallas owns and operates Lake Ray Hubbard. Dallas does not use groundwater
Dallas is in the process of connecting Lake Palestine, approximately 90 miles southeast of the city, to its water system. It’s estimated to be completed in 2028.
Is Dallas’ drinking water safe?Is Dallas’ drinking water safe?
To ensure the water is safe, the Dallas Water Utilities Department tests the water 40,000 to 50,000 times per month, according to its website. The department provides water, wastewater and storm drainage services to the city and Dallas County.
The water undergoes extensive treatment, including chemicals like chlorine and ammonia, along with settling, filtering and disinfection before it reaches homes and businesses.
Chlorine and ammonia are used to disinfect the water, while lime and iron sulfate are employed to remove suspended solids and control corrosion. Activated carbon is used to control offensive tastes and odors, and fluoride helps prevent tooth decay.
Dallas water is considered noncorrosive, meaning it is less likely to leach lead from pipes than corrosive water, according to the city.
Where does it go after it is used?Where does it go after it is used?
Used water, also known as wastewater or sewage, is pumped through the wastewater system to one of the city’s two wastewater treatment plants.
The water is cleaned and returned to the Trinity River, where it continues to flow downstream and is used by other cities.
If residents are concerned about water quality, they can request more information or a free water quality test by calling 311
My Thoughts 💭My Thoughts 💭
Never would have guessed Dallas didn’t use any groundwater. I think one of the biggest blunders over the last 30-40 years was convincing the American public that tap water was somehow inferior to bottle water. Anyone in the water field will tell you how much of a scam that was and Americans were convinced that drinking water from a manufactured plastic bottle was safer than water coming from an underground pipe.
I think it depends where we're talking... not all tap is equal. Dallas tap seems fine, but Austin tap tastes like a malaria smoothie even at nicer hotels and restaurants with their own filters.
Taste is just one thing, otherwise it usually a trade-off between microplastics in bottled water vs chlorine+flouride and pharmacologics in some cities.
I couldn't reconcile living somewhere without my own deep-well. People didn't settle places without access to good water for most of human history, how few people even consider that today?
Yeah but groundwater has its flaws as well. Arsenic is a common contaminant found in groundwater. Hopefully you are getting your water tested periodically to make sure the aquifer is still producing high quality groundwater.
The chlorine and fluoride really depend on your local municipality and how well they treat the water. If the chlorine level is too high then the operators aren’t dosing correctly and fluoride addition is a local governance issue. Big dental psyop’ed us into thinking it prevents cavities for the poor and marginalized.
Taste and aesthetics comes down again to the governance and how much the citizens want to invest to have great tasting water. Most people want to pay as little as possible and to that you get what you pay for.
Yea radon is the other thing to test for with a well, first thing to do in a home inspection because a house with a good well is hard money
Hopefully so with a good strong well casing hopefully not those cheap PVC casings and a reliable pump and power.
That’s is really hard money
I wasn't aware that Americans were convinced by this.
I do know that when we travel, we're told that drinking bottled water is safer, because in some countries they don't purify their water that well. But mostly what I've heard is that in America drinking tap water is fine.
Yea but it became a social stigma. Like in America taking public transportation and drinking tap water is considered things that poor people do.
You gotta drink your overpriced VOSS water that comes in a glass bottle and take your uber black to flex to the world you aren’t poor!
Personally, I think taking public transit is cool! I just don't do it because it's not conveniently set up for me. I'd totally do it if it was convenient though.
We don't drink straight from the tap though, we run it through a filter first.
Surface water systems can be more vulnerable to drought and seasonal variation but they also offer more manageable large scale treatment compared to fragmented groundwater sources. The upcoming Lake Palestine connection will expand capacity and diversify sources which is a prudent step given the growth in population and industry.
The misconception that bottled water is inherently safer than tap water is one of the more effective pieces of marketing ever pushed on the public. Municipal water systems are subject to far more stringent testing requirements than most bottled water companies. The 40,000 to 50,000 monthly tests that Dallas conducts are a testament to how closely public water quality is monitored. Bottled water often comes from similar sources to tap and in some cases is literally municipal water placed in packaging and sold at a markup.
AI is that you?