# Is the drinking water on Amtrak potable?



## Dakota 400 (Oct 4, 2014)

Recent posts have caused me to worry about drinking water.

Sleeping Car guests are supposed to have bottled water available. Some posts indicate that one has to "hunt down" the SCA if more than the two bottles provided are needed. And, on a trip such as the SL or SWC, more would be needed.

I was under the impression that there was not a drinking water supply availabe on the Sleepers. Only bottled water was available. The recent post mentioned drinking water that did seem to be available that "resembled the color of milk".

Does such a water supply exist? And, if the water appears to be OK and the SCA has disappeared into the great unknown (his/her end of trip gratuity will so reflect such behavior), is it safe to drink the water?


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## PRR 60 (Oct 4, 2014)

Yes, the water from the sink faucets is drinkable. The water comes from a drinkable supply, and the car tanks are sanitized after each trip.


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## MSP_Train_Hopper (Oct 4, 2014)

I asked about the color of the water once to a lounge car attendant who said the 'milky' color is tiny air bubbles. The water tanks are under the car and air pressure is used to pump it up to the spigots. It made sense to me and the water did clear up after a few moments.


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## TinCan782 (Oct 4, 2014)

MSP_Train_Hopper said:


> I asked about the color of the water once to a lounge car attendant who said the 'milky' color is tiny air bubbles. The water tanks are under the car and air pressure is used to pump it up to the spigots. It made sense to me and the water did clear up after a few moments.


Air bubbles came to my mind as well.


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## City of Miami (Oct 4, 2014)

The water is fine - I drink it routinely.

The little bottles of water (ecological horrors I might add) were less expensive replacements when free canned soft drinks were discontinued some years ago.


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## steve smith (Oct 4, 2014)

On my first train trip in 1960, from Cleveland to Pittsburgh on the "Steel King", and then on to Washington and then to Orlando, my Mother said: don't drink the water from the little dispenser/spigots [on the Pullman wall that had little Dixie Cups underneath.].... I of course had to try it then !...it was warm and had a sort of metallic taste to it. Now, I read that Pullman advertised "ice water" in those little spigots, but perhaps by 1960 they were cutting back on the amenities! When I was on some Heritage equipment in 1990, it still had the spigots, and....the water tasted the same!


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## steve smith (Oct 4, 2014)

On my first train trip in 1960, from Cleveland to Pittsburgh on the "Steel King", and then on to Washington and then to Orlando, my Mother said: don't drink the water from the little dispenser/spigots [on the Pullman wall that had little Dixie Cups underneath.].... I of course had to try it then !...it was warm and had a sort of metallic taste to it. Now, I read that Pullman advertised "ice water" in those little spigots, but perhaps by 1960 they were cutting back on the amenities! When I was on some Heritage equipment in 1990, it still had the spigots, and....the water tasted the same!


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## VentureForth (Oct 4, 2014)

Potable and palatable are two different things. It may be clean, but it's not often tasty. I like to bring my first bottled water and those powder mixes. Makes the tap water much more enjoyable and costs a lot loss than anything in the cafe.


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## neroden (Oct 4, 2014)

PRR 60 said:


> Yes, the water from the sink faucets is drinkable. The water comes from a drinkable supply, and the car tanks are sanitized after each trip.


... so if you're concerned about the cleanliness of the water, be concerned at the very end of the trip! Drink the tap water first, and save the bottled water for when you're on your third day on the train due to 16 hour delays.


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## Devil's Advocate (Oct 5, 2014)

PRR 60 said:


> Yes, the water from the sink faucets is drinkable. The water comes from a drinkable supply, and the car tanks are sanitized after each trip.


I've been warned by mechanics not to drink the water on planes because in their view the health standards are outdated, the operational exceptions are numerous, actual health inspections are rare, and the penalties are relatively minor. Why would water on trains be that much cleaner?


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## zepherdude (Oct 5, 2014)

The water is potable and right from an outside fawcet. Even the the tanks are sanitized, the cars are very old. So many evil things can build up over the years and miles. I feel the same way about airplanes as well. I just buy bottled water. Frankly, its a small issue as few if any, people get sick from the water so, its really not a big thing. We consume tons of bad stuff all the time, so whats the difference really.


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## City of Miami (Oct 5, 2014)

I just read that good ol' San Francisco has become the 1st major American city to ban single-use bottled water. Good on 'em!!


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## Bob Dylan (Oct 5, 2014)

There they go again!( "San Francisco Democrat" is a Slur used by the Right against Progressive Leaders with good ideas like this!!)

The same Corporate greed Machine and their Political Puppets that fought the Healthy School Lunch Program

and such other good ideas as NYCs ban on " Big Gulp" Sugar Water (aka Sodas) will jump on this!


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## jebr (Oct 6, 2014)

It's not a wonderful idea to remove choice from the marketplace. Yes, I am plenty fine drinking tap water, and if I have my reusable bottle with I'll fill that up whenever possible. But there's not a water fountain on every street corner, or probably even as often (or as convenient) as convenience stores are. Sometimes I just need some water that's chilled and ready to go with me, and single-use water bottles fill that need.

I guess I'll just to have to buy the sugar-laden crap (pop, "juice", etc.) instead, at least until that is banned...


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## Alice (Oct 6, 2014)

This has been a bumpy road. Several years ago, after the mayor banned city funds from being used for bottled water (after all, SF gets pristine snow melt from Hetch Hetchy, a canyon John Muir considered a rival of Yosemite Valley), the Board of Supervisors used "discretionary" funds to continue their single-use bottle habit. As you can imagine, this did not fly well with citizens.



City of Miami said:


> I just read that good ol' San Francisco has become the 1st major American city to ban single-use bottled water. Good on 'em!!


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## Bob Dylan (Oct 6, 2014)

Sorry, I forgot that people have been carrying around Plastic water bottles since the beginning of time! NOT!!

Americans always complain about the price of gasoline, but the really Expensive Liquids are what we consume in bottles that used to be made out of glass( aka sand), not petroleum, and were reusuable!

Bottled Water,Milk, Sodas, Juice Drinks, Beer and Cosmetics are good examples with most of the bottles ending up in landfills!Those states and cities that require deposits on plastic bottles that are resuseable might have done it for political and revenue reasons but its an excellent idea more should copy!

A few years ago " Consumer Reports" ( No Ads therefore suspect!)did a blind taste test of various unknown to the judges Bottled Water (including expensive Name Brand Waters) and the Winner was, wait for it, New York City Tap Water!!!

My other pet peeve is Disposable Diapers, disposable where? Even Amtrak Bathrooms have been known to have them!


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## VentureForth (Oct 6, 2014)

The idea that someone could sell something that is otherwise free just about everywhere you turn around is a concept that could only have been hatched in San Francisco. Just kidding. I remember when i was working at Tokyo Disneyland in the 80's, a gentleman from India asked me where he could buy bottled water. As a young, dumb teenager, I thought the idea to be preposterous - there were water fountains EVERYWHERE. Why would someone PAY for water? TDL didn't sell bottled water way back then, and the guest left me, fuming.

That got me to thinking that any countries around the world DO depend on bottled water for sanitation. USA (and Japan for that matter) isn't one of them. BUT, what is safe is not necessarily what is tasty - as I already mentioned. Tap water is not synonomous with paletable.


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## tp49 (Oct 6, 2014)

San Francisco should be more concerned about their politicians connections to and activities with organized crime than single use water bottles.


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## Bob Dylan (Oct 6, 2014)

tp49 said:


> San Francisco should be more concerned about their politicians connections to and activities with organized crime than single use water bottles.


Along with every other City in the US and the World for that matter!

San Francisco does take itself too Seriously, it's a Nice Place to Visit, but I wouldn't want to Live There! LOL


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## seat38a (Oct 6, 2014)

Anyone who has ever tried to brew tea or coffee with tap water know of the unpleasant looking sludge like cloudy crap that swirls around the liquid knows that there is a market for bottled water. Same with ice. If you don't have an ice make with a filter system, the thing comes out unpleasant and actually ruins a nice cold glass of iced tea. At my old crummy apartment that I lived at about 10 years ago, I had to buy both water and ice for coffee and iced tea. Even Britta could not fix the water.


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