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One night, about ten years ago, I confessed to my husband that I had been imagining that we had a mouse. He looked at me aghast and said, "Me too!" The fact was that we had both seen real mice out of the corner of our eyes, but thought we had imagined it. I mean, how could WE have a mouse?! We didn't want to believe that a mouse or, better yet, mouse family had moved in under our dishwasher.
When I learned that the 113-year-old Catskill aqueduct was up for some long needed repairs and the special recipe of our precious New York City water had been tweaked to allow for those repairs, I started to think that I had been thinking (and denying) that my water tasted, well, different.
The city's water recipe usually includes about 10 percent of water from the Croton reservoirs in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties. Now, because one of two main aqueducts is preparing to go off line, up to 30 percent of our water is coming from the Croton system. The water from Croton is higher in magnesium and calcium and may leave some spots on your glasses, in addition to a funny taste in your mouth.
Don't worry. You won't have to endure the new mineral-rich flavor for too long. The $156 million repair to the part of the water tunnel to the north should only last about 10 weeks. You'll have your water back before New Year's!
I guess I am not as true a New Yorker as the hoards who have called 311 to complain about the new "earthy" water flavor. I love those people for noticing. The Department of Environmental Protection assures them and us that the water is as safe as it ever was. Just not as tasty. I wonder if the bagels have noticed?
XOXO Farm Girl