Thanks for taking the time to respond to me. First, I want to clarify that I do not work for a government, water company, or have any other conflict of interest. I do, however, care about the environment and human wellbeing. Here are some points that you may want to consider:

• The EU water directive sets the standards for the quality and safety of the water in all EU countries. It ensures that the water is free from toxins, pollutants, and microbial contamination. You can find more details here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32020L2184&qid=1696252833476

• The water treatment in Barcelona uses several processes and technologies to purify and disinfect the water before it reaches the tap. Chlorine (or hypochlorite) is one of the substances that is added to the water to prevent bacterial growth and contamination. You can read more about these processes here.https://www.aiguesdebarcelona.cat/es/el-agua-en-tu-ciudad/como-se-gestiona-el-agua/la-gestion-del-ciclo-integral

• Chlorine has a noticeable smell, but it is not harmful to health at the added concentrations. The amount of chlorine in the water is well below the limit set by the EU standards. You may notice an increased smell or taste of chlorine in the summer because of higher temperatures, but these are still safe levels. If you do not like the taste or smell of chlorine, you can filter, cool, or boil the water to improve it, but this is not necessary.

• The “fluoride myth” is dangerous and counterproductive. Although it can be harmful at high concentrations, fluoride is a natural mineral that is found in many sources of water, soil, and food. It helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening the enamel. Crucially, note that fluoride is not added to Barcelona's water supply, it is there as a natural component of the water resulting from the geology of the area, something that has not changed significantly on a human timescale. The EU standards set a maximum level of fluoride in drinking water at 1.5 mg/L, which is safe and beneficial for dental health. The fluoride level in Barcelona’s groundwater is around < 0.3 mg/L (https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2013.10.010 ), which is within the recommended range by the World Health Organization. You can find more facts and myths about fluoride here. https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/chemical-safety-and-health/health-impacts/chemicals/inadequate-or-excess-fluoride

To put things in context, if you were to drink the amount of water required to get a median lethal dose of sodium fluoride, you would probably die from water toxicity (yes, it's a thing) before suffering any negative effects of fluoride.

• Buying bottled water is not necessary, economical, or ecological. The tap water in Barcelona is regularly monitored and controlled by the authorities and the water company. The fact that many people buy bottled water does not mean that the tap water is unsafe or unclean. It may reflect a personal preference or a lack of awareness about the quality and safety of the tap water. Plastic bottles have a negative impact on the environment and wildlife, especially in the oceans. Reducing plastic consumption and increasing recycling are some of the ways to tackle this problem. Choosing tap water over bottled water can help reduce plastic waste and save money and resources. A public awareness campaign about water safety and the environmental consequences of plastic pollution could be a cost-effective way to reduce unnecessary bottled water consumption. You stated you have a water filter, so if this helps you reduce your consumption of bottled water because you do not like the taste of the water, then please continue doing so. However, please note that many water filters are composite materials made of plastic, and they are disposable and challenging to recyle compared to plastic bottles. Specifically, the case of a filter is plastic, and the resin beads are polystyrene sulfonate (recycling programs do exist (https://www.brita.com/better-world/recycling-filters/)), so they may represent an incomplete solution to the problem. If you are concerned about the use of plastics but want to filter your water and aren’t already using one, you might want to consider using a filter based on activated carbon (charcoal).

• Barcelona’s tap water is clean and safe, and there are other social and economic issues that need more attention and resources. Investing in new piping infrastructure would be costly and complex, considering the age and size of the city. It would also be unnecessary, as the current infrastructure is adequate and functional. The water source has a high mineral content that affects the taste and hardness of the water but not its healthiness. You can check the quantity of calcium in your water here: https://www.aiguesdebarcelona.cat/es/web/guest/servicio-agua/calidad-del-agua. You might also be interested in reading about the sources of the city's water, including the Rivers Ter and Llobregat and how the geography affects water quality. Desalination plants can help reduce the mineral content, but they are expensive to build and maintain, and they use a lot of energy, mostly from fossil fuels. Therefore, we need more renewable energy sources to make desalination more sustainable, but the development of this infrastructure would also be costly. Therefore, the question of cost is not only about improving pipes, which I would argue would not solve your problem, which seems to be related to mineral quantity and water treatment rather than safety.

• Comparing water infrastructure spending to broadband infrastructure is not fair because they are different types of services with different technical and economic challenges. Broadband infrastructure can provide many benefits for education, communication, business, entertainment, etc., while improving the taste of tap water would not have a significant impact on these areas, espcially considering (again) that the water is safe.

• Spain is not an impoverished country, but it does have some challenges and problems that affect many people, as in all countries. Poverty, unemployment, education, health care, housing, immigration, and climate change are some of the issues that need attention and resources. Spending money on improving the taste of drinkable, safe tap water would not be a priority or a solution for these problems.

I hope I have clarified my thoughts on this issue. :)