LETTER: Safe to drink

Regarding the Thursday letter to the Review-Journal on Las Vegas water, I agree that our tap water doesn’t always have the best taste. However, that should not be confused with safety. Southern Nevada’s drinking water is subject to extensive treatment and testing and is considered safe to drink.

One reason for the taste is the high mineral content of the Colorado River, which makes our water “hard.” Historically, when Lake Mead was much fuller, water entering the lake from upstream had a longer distance to travel and more time for sediment to settle before reaching the intake facilities that supply Las Vegas.

Today, with Lake Mead at lower levels than in decades past, water moves through a smaller reservoir and has less time for natural settling. Combined with the concentration of minerals that occurs as water levels decline, this can affect the taste and characteristics of the water delivered to our homes.

People may not like the taste, but that’s different from claiming the water is unsafe. The two should not be confused.