Salty, gritty tap water has residents of Uruguay’s capital fuming as drought empties reservoir

By GUILLERMO GARAT
Associated Press

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Residents of Uruguay’s capital are increasingly exasperated after two months of salty-tasting tap water that has damaged water heaters, boosted demand for bottled water and reportedly caused stomach ailments. People in Uruguay have always been able to safely drink the water that comes from their taps, unlike in some other Latin American countries. But the country is now suffering its most severe drought in 44 years, following decades without investment in freshwater reservoirs. The Santa Lucia River supplied fresh water to Montevideo and the surrounding area for more than 150 years — until the first days of May of this year. Authorities began drawing water instead from the Rio de La Plata River.