One thing I miss the most about home is the water and food. Home for me is Westchester, New York, the county just north of New York City. I live approximately 5 minutes from the Bronx and 15 minutes from Manhattan. It isn’t news to anyone that a New Yorker will defend their pizza and bagels till the day they die and I’m no different. New York has THE BEST pizza and bagels in the world. But the question is why, well I like many others believe its the water.
(For more about NY pizza check out Why New York Pizza is so Irreplaceable)
There has been recent talk of fracking in New York’s water supply causing people to become skeptical on the safety of the water. According to Marc Wilkenfeld, M.D., director of the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola the water is pretty darn safe and tasty too. The wear comes from upstate about 100 miles north and transported down to the city. There is also a program installed in the city which regularly monitors the bacteria levels in the water. This is unlike underground water supple which can be contaminated by the industrial process with chemicals.
Truthfully all tap water is safe for you to drink, the myth that drinking bottled water is better for you is just as it is, a myth. The scariest thing you need to worry about when it comes to you’re tap water at home is how dirty your pipes that the water travels through are. Keep your pipes clean or let your water run for 30 eons before drinking the water and you should be fine!
I live 20 minutes from State College and I personally love my water and pizza their and I think New York pizza is just the same as it is in my hometown. I do agree that there are some pretty awesome bagels that come out of New York but I believe that it is all just a preference thing. I don’t really think the quality of the water would have an effect of how good the pizza or bagels were though since you cook these foods.
I live in Williamsport, PA and I think our water is pretty good as well. My house gets water from a well which was dugout while the house was being built. The water at my house is amazing and delicious; sometimes I think the water is better than Deer Park. My house is located in rural country and over the past few years fracking and gas well pads have become very popular near my house. With over 9 well pads fracking every day for three years within a 5 mile radius of my house I haven’t experienced one thing wrong with my water. With the water my well provides it generally comes from mountain stream run off and rain which has never seemed to be affected by fracking. According to NYC.gov, New York City, Westchester, Putnam, Ulster and Orange counties north of the city are supplied with water from 19 reservoirs, and three controlled lakes within a 1,972 square mile radius that extends 125 miles north and west of New York City. Therefore I believe that because the source of water for NYC and its surrounding areas is so large I think that fracking would have little or no effect on the water in these areas.
I recently visited my boyfriend’s brother in New York City, and was pleasantly surprised at the water as well. You don’t appreciate clean water until you are forced to live without it. In my apartment at State College, I often find little specs floating in my tap water. I’ve had to install water purification systems to clear it out, because bottled water gets expensive. Not to mention all that plastic going to waste! While I was in New York, I drank straight tap water, and it’s honestly never tasted so good. I don’t know what black magic is in those pipes, but I am thankful for them. As dirty as the city may seem overall, I have to give an applause to their hygienic water systems. For the rest of you living in Pennsylvania, here’s some effective water purification ideas: http://wellnessmama.com/8079/best-water-filter-options/