Can I drink the tap water?

The director or water treatment and quality for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) joins the Water Smart podcast to discuss treatment processes that protect our tap water supply. Greg Kodweis explains how ozonation kills viruses like COVID-19; why our tap water tastes like it does; why tap water is better than bottled water; and how SNWA invests in world-class research to advance water treatment in the United States. Most importantly, he explores the many reasons we can all be confident in the tap water that comes out of the faucets in almost every home and business in Southern Nevada.

According to Kodweis:

• “Within nature, ozone is created by lightening, and we’ve kind of duplicated that process here at our treatment plants. And one thing about ozone, it’ll kill and destroy bacteria about 3,200 times faster than chlorine.”
  
  
• “We go way above and beyond the requirements that any water agency would have. In fact, we have an entire department dedicated to working within the water community on researching different types of contaminants at very small levels.”
  
  
• “The most important thing to keep in mind is that taste is not an indicator of overall water safety.”

Recommended resources:

• Find your water provider’s Water Quality Report on snwa.com
• Get the facts about how Southern Nevada’s water is tested and treated
• Request the Consumer Reports ® home water treatment system ratings 
• Text the word CONSERVE to 85357 to get seasonal reminders to change your irrigation clock