How is the habits in other countries regarding tap water? Here in Norway everyone just drink tap water! I see most russians on RLC use water bottles or water tanks. A friend of mine studied (chemistry) 1 year in Russia, he said everyone there buy water in bottles or dispencers. They tested tap water on the lab, it was cleaner than what is considered avarage in Norway, but no one drinks tap water there... Maybe it is cultural?

If you look it up they recommend that you don't drink the tap water in Russia and in some regions the tap water is pretty terrible.

Uk the tap water is fine.

There are many factors including

the sources of the water, the consistency of the processing and the distribution network.

Even where it considered safe for drinking there is also the actual taste. In Barca there is a filtered source for cooking and boiling but they still buy bottled water too.

Across the UK there are noticeable variations in the taste.

Maybe Norwegian water tastes rather better than Russian ?

Here where I live in Massachusetts I drink the tap water. I do have a filter pitcher as some like that but the water is fine. I am always amazed what people will spend on bottled water, especially as most countries have no standards for bottled water. There have been many cases where it has been found that companies simply take the local tap water and bottle it!!! 

15 hours ago, ed2 said:

How is the habits in other countries regarding tap water? Here in Norway everyone just drink tap water! I see most russians on RLC use water bottles or water tanks. A friend of mine studied (chemistry) 1 year in Russia, he said everyone there buy water in bottles or dispencers. They tested tap water on the lab, it was cleaner than what is considered avarage in Norway, but no one drinks tap water there... Maybe it is cultural?

Tap Water in Russia is sometimes a Brownish Color.  That's from Treated Raw Sewage.   I don't think I'd be drinking something that has been Treated after someone Flushes their Toilet.

When I lived in Phoenix, Arizona I would not drink the tap water.  It tasted like chlorine and had a high lime content.  I'd refill 5 gallon bottles to a water store which put it through reverse osmosis, carbon filtration and ultraviolet light disinfecting.   Here in Oregon, though, I have no problem drinking tap water.  My coffee water is carbon filtered, though, because any chlorine in the coffee water gives it a plastic flavor.

On 17-11-2017 at 4:29 PM, ed2 said:

How is the habits in other countries regarding tap water? Here in Norway everyone just drink tap water! I see most russians on RLC use water bottles or water tanks. A friend of mine studied (chemistry) 1 year in Russia, he said everyone there buy water in bottles or dispencers. They tested tap water on the lab, it was cleaner than what is considered avarage in Norway, but no one drinks tap water there... Maybe it is cultural?

It might depend on where you are in Russia. When you look at 3K (Moscow), the water is clear when they fill the bath. When you look at all the St. Petersburg apts, the water is brown when they fill the tub. I would not drink that.

Our tap water in The Netherlands is very good. It's absolutely 100% safe to drink, and there have been blindfolded taste tests where the tap water was considered better tasting than a lot of the bottled water. 

I live in a small town in the American midwest, and our tap water is so bad that it killed my plant .. plant was very healthy until i moved here and gave it the tap water .. the water at times comes out brown, and at times has such a strong chlorine odor, that it's like someone just shocked a swimming pool .. i would never drink that stuff .. i use a filter and buy distilled water..

bottled water here in Jacksonville. there water gets a weird chemical taste.. not chlorine, but something else. i drink bottles spring water