Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink?

I'm a water drinker and I say that proudly. Other than my morning cup of hot tea and my favorite Starbuck's drink (tall, skim, no-whip mocha, please) that is really all I drink. I don't drink bottled water - I'm a recycler too and I also don't believe in all that plastic (I've become very aware of all the evils of plastics since I had children - namely BPA (bisphenol A). Bottled water is also a silly waste of money - Dasani and Aquafina (bottled by Coca Cola and Pepsi) have publically disclosed that their water comes from municipal sources which means it's TAP WATER. http://www.canadian-business.info/business/a-fresh-bottle-of-aquafina-dasani-tap-water/

I faithfully use my Brita pitcher, regularly change the filter and feel like I'm doing a good thing for my family - my husband drinks more water now and my 3 year old daughter drinks only milk or water - no juice or sugary drinks for her! I'm so proud of her and it makes me feel good to know she isn't putting a bunch of junk into her little body.

So, I was especially horrified when I read this article in the Chicago Tribune. Although I have heard the term "reclaimed water" and I know that Chicago has its own Water Reclaimation Plant I hadn't (or didn't want to) really thought about what that meant. Where was all that reclaimed water coming from and what did it have in it? This article told me everything I didn't want to know.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-pharmawater-treatments,0,6589847.story

And then coincidentally a few days later I saw this on Grist.com:

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2008/03/12/index.html?source=friend

As if all of that information wasn't disturbing enough, my dear friend Jane forwarded this to me from You Tube. I always was a little queasy about asking for lemon in my water when I went out to eat, but this confirms my worst fears. So not only do I not want to drink the water when I go out I definitely do not want to have any lemon in it either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeye8wnBJoU