Why people are paying for water on the Central Coast

Many people here on the Central Coast are spending money to stay away from tap water.

Some just don’t like the taste of water from the tap and go the distilled or bottled water route.

Water is all around us. In the ocean… It’s in the atmosphere… On the ground… and of course, in the kitchen. And while tap water isn’t free. It’s a lot cheaper than buying it bottled or at a water shop.

So why do people buy it?

Capitol Resident, Angenie says, “Well the main reason is.. If you have tasted the water in Santa Cruz you would understand why everybody is here. Because the water taste vile.”

And no stranger to Santa Cruz water are the Youngs. “Surfing since he was 4 years old grew up and down the coast of California landed in Santa Cruz back in 1975. He prefers out bottled water from Alhambra we get delivered, but I drink tap water in the morning with my vitamins I don’t mind the taste of it.” Says longtime resident of the area Jennifer Young.

And another Santa Cruz local, says water is water. “I don’t actively seek out tap water, I would probably drink it, but I’m not mindfully avoiding it or anything.”

General Manager at the Soquel Creek Water District explains the rivalry between the tap and filtered water. “Well waters can taste different, but taste it taste. Some people like red wine some people like white wine,” said Ron Duncan, general manager, Soquel Creek Water District

Duncan says both waters are safe.

“Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and tap water is regulated by the Environmental protection agency, but both waters meet high standards and are very safe.

And while it mind sound funny to have a shop that only sells water, the stores actually pull in a lot of business.

Owner of H204U, Kristen Newland says, “Yeah so its vapor compression, steam distillation. So in layman’s terms it heats the water and heats it up to boiling, condenses it back down and cools it and then it send it out and se store it in these stainless steel tanks.

Either way, people seem to like it.