One of the main concerns tourists have is whether it is true that you can drink tap water in the Canary Islands, as there are many different opinions on the matter. If you are planning to visit the Canary Islands and want to know more about this question, in this article we will give you the answer.
Myths and truths about tap water in the Canary Islands
Nowadays, can you drink tap water in the Canary Islands? There is a lot of misinformation surrounding this issue, which causes local residents to prefer buying bottled water instead of using tap water.
Public health organisations have the primary objective of ensuring the sanitary control of drinking water. Spanish national legislation and European directives ensure that drinking water is clean and safe by removing or reducing the concentration of microbiological and physico-chemical contaminants that could have repercussions for human health.
According to the legislation, public authorities guarantee that you can drink tap water in the Canary Islands. In the archipelago, this water is treated through the application of the reverse osmosis technique, which is a water purification method in which a significant amount of salt is removed through semipermeable membranes.
This type of technological process has been used as a model in other countries across Europe and the world. However, after this treatment has been applied, the water may retain a different taste compared to bottled water and may be uncomfortable for some people to consume.
The water in the Canary Islands has undergone different analyses following the guidelines of the Health Surveillance Programme for Drinking Water of the Government of the Canary Islands, which, in accordance with Royal Decree 140/2003, confirms that you can drink tap water in the Canary Islands as it meets quality standards.
Is the taste of tap water in the Canary Islands pleasant?
In addition to wondering whether you can drink tap water in the Canary Islands, another common concern is whether it tastes pleasant. In this regard, it is important to point out that the taste can vary depending on the area where it is consumed, as in some municipalities in the Canary Islands it may have a slightly more acidic or bitter flavour.
It should also be highlighted that in inland and higher-altitude areas, water quality is usually higher from a chemical point of view because it does not contain as much salt as in municipalities closer to the coast, where water is obtained both from aquifers and from the sea through desalination processes.
In this sense, although you can drink tap water in the Canary Islands, residents of coastal towns buy more bottled water than those living in inland municipalities. This leads to large amounts of plastic waste from these containers accumulating, which does not contribute to environmental conservation and has become one of the main concerns of the Government of the Canary Islands.
Why does tap water in the Canary Islands taste different?
One of the reasons why tap water tastes very different from bottled water is that when it is desalinated, it must be treated so that it becomes completely distilled. To achieve this, it is necessary to follow the regulations and add minimal amounts of chlorine in order to minimise the presence of bacteria.
After these treatments are carried out to guarantee that you can drink tap water in the Canary Islands, the water undergoes a remineralisation process, which removes excess salt so that the water has a more pleasant taste.
The recommendation before consuming tap water is to let it rest for a while in a jug so that the chlorine taste decreases before drinking it.
Why do people drink little tap water in the Canary Islands?
Although you can drink tap water in the Canary Islands without any problems, the truth is that in this archipelago it is most common for neither locals nor visitors to do so. One reason for this is that there are still doubts about the health quality of the water because for many years the Canary Islands experienced problems of this nature.
On the other hand, it should also be noted that the taste of the water can cause discomfort because it is obtained through a salinisation process. In addition, there have not been enough campaigns explaining to residents and tourists that drinking tap water in the Canary Islands does not represent any risk to their health.
The trend is that over time the habit of drinking desalinated tap water in the Canary Islands will increase because aquifer water supplies have been diminishing. In fact, there are places such as Lanzarote that no longer have sources of fresh drinking water and rely solely on water that has undergone these technological treatments.
Where to stay in Gran Canaria or Fuerteventura?
If you have decided to visit Fuerteventura or Gran Canaria, at Lopesan Group we have all-inclusive hotels where we offer unlimited mineral water service at no additional cost.
At our accommodation you will be able to enjoy excellent bars, restaurants and other leisure spaces and services to spend a luxury holiday on these wonderful islands. Contact us if you would like to know more about our hotel services.
