Drinking tap water Olga Blagova, head of the chief technologist department at Moscow State Unitary Enterprise Mosvodokanal, answered questions from Antenna readers.
- Is it safe to drink tap water?Galina Potapova, 32, seamstress, Moscow – The quality of water throughout the city meets the requirements of state standards. So it can not only be used for household purposes (washing dishes, showering, etc.), but also drunk without harm to health.
- Are water sources protected by fences?Does anyone make sure that people don't swim in them? Anna Kovalchuk, 27, hairdresser, Khimki – Of course, there is no access to the water intake area. There is a fence and security there. There is an inspection service that professionally examines potential sources of pollution, monitors the condition of water sources, and controls the quality of water. However, you can't fence off the entire Moskva River, and it is quite open in the upper reaches. 
- How hard is the water in Moscow?Should I add softeners to washing machines? Tamara Stepanova, 29, teacher, Moscow – Our water is of medium hardness. The maximum hardness observed in Moscow is 5 degrees. This is the indicator you should focus on when choosing the operating mode of your machine.
- Is it necessary to purify tap water with household products?filters? Margarita Ivanova, 40, technologist, Moscow – Despite the fact that the condition of the pipes is far from ideal, the quality of water coming out of the stations and the water coming into apartments is almost identical. This is confirmed by daily water monitoring at consumers. Attempts to further purify water can sometimes not improve it, but worsen it, for example, desalinate it, and such water cannot be called useful.
- Is it possible to check the quality of water, which obtained after processing with a household filter? Semyon Trofimov, 40 years old, foreman, Krasnogorsk – You must find an accredited laboratory yourself that will conduct such an analysis.
- The smell of chlorine bothers me.Is it safe to drink such water? Sofia Konstantinovna, 37, accountant, Moscow – Residual chlorine from our water supply stations is within 0.8-1.2 mg per liter. And according to WHO standards, a level of 3 mg per liter is considered safe. If you don't like the smell of chlorine, let the water settle for 1-2 hours.
- The water turns green after standing on the windowsill.Flowers don't care, but people do? Tamara Vasilievna, 39, salesperson, Lobnya – Phytoplankton cells, small algae that are not dangerous to health, multiply in the water in the sun.
Useful address
- Telephone number of the single reception office in Moscow: 8-499-763-34-34
- Mosvodokanal site
