In 2021 the people who run municipal water systems across the nation had blind taste tests where Boston came out #1.

We also were tops from them in 2014 and have been the top in a similar panel of New England water in 2017.

My theory is that it's so good because when they created the Quabbin reservoir they kicked all of the population of several towns out to flood the valley, so our water is flavored by the tears of the dispossessed.

Weirdly enough, MWRA water is literally world class and ranks above most bottled water.

The water here is superior. It is a unique thing to the metro Boston area.

Step outside though... not so good.

anytime i return from a vacation, the first thing i appreciate is water

We have some of the best tap water in the country and we don't rely on wooden rooftop water tanks so it's more consistent than in NYC. My buddy's building had to have the water shut off because dead birds ended up in their tank.

The Boston reservoir, the Quabbin, means we have the best access to water than anywhere in the US. The folk there have maintained the standards for years and never get recognition. Can anyone remember the last " boil water" rule in effect here?

Water here is excellent.

Interesting fact: Boston beer company AKA Sam Adams treats the water at it's breweries elsewhere in the country to match the makeup of Boston Tap water

Greater Boston has MWRA water but some local sources too. Cambridge, for example, has its own water supply, so does Winchester and I think Lynn too. MWRA water is probably similar to NYC water: both systems have well kept upcountry reservoirs where the water is clean enough to avoid expensive filtration systems. I've heard only four big municipal water supply systems in the US have been able to meet federal drinking water standards without filtration systems and two of them are MWRA and New York City. When Massachusetts created the Quabbin it acquired plenty of land around the reservoir, now forested watershed land that keeps all sorts of typical contaminants like lawn fertilizer runoff from entering the water. NY's reservoirs don't have as much watershed land and the DEP has had conflicts with farms and towns in the Catskills (where the reservoirs are) over runoff, also sewage treatment systems that discharge effluent into streams that feed the reservoirs. So NY water may be a little less pure but still good enough. Philadelphia, by contrast, takes its water out of the Delaware river, downstream of Trenton, Easton, etc. Yuck.

I grew up on drinking quabbin and have drank NYC for 10 years. They are both amazing. I drink NYC water now without any filter all day. Better than plastic bottles for sure. But use a filter if it makes u feel better

No joke Somerville has my favorite tasting water of at least a dozen cities I've lived around.

I just spent a couple days in Stamford and tried to drink the tap water … grateful to be back.

I've traveled a bunch, and I always miss Boston water

in fact I'm drinking some right now

legit the best. Better than most water you can buy.

I wonder if part of it has to do with being tolerant/"used to" your local water, but I'm often surprised how bad water smells and tastes when I travel outside of the Boston area. In particular, I find that Atlanta's water tastes and smells like chlorine, and Florida's smells like sulphur (and feels super harsh on my hair).

How is cambridge water?

I grew up drinking Taunton water, frequently came back brown or with visible flecks. Can't believe that garbage heap was ever considered to be the capital

Native New Yorker here, lived in Boston since 2017 and I prefer NYC water to Boston. Loved in Sarasota as well, and Boston is much better than Florida water. Best water I’ve had was in Budapest. Just my two cents