USVI-On-Line

waterguy wrote:God I'm starting to sound like a local past where something used to be next it will be turn right where the cow stands some of the time. LOL

And stuff like that is what makes St John perfect for some and maddening for others.

Kind of wish I hadn't read this post. Like Gromit, I always drink the water straight from the tap (although I do think the houses we have stayed in have had a filter system). I've never gotten sick from water in St. John, although I've had a few battles with the rum. My children, who have grown up drinking bottled water here in Iowa where its totally unnecessary, will only drink bottled water in St. John.

But then, I also blissfully eat hot dogs and ignore the stories of what goes in them.

I wouldn't drink cistern water with your mouth, any of "YOU'S"!!!!!!!

Capt John

Most people who live on St. John drink the cistern water, including me. All homes have at least a paper filter, if not a UV filtration system. Downspouts are usually screened to keep animals, leaves, etc. from getting into the cistern.

How often do you see a cat on a hot tin roof?

Nancy_B wrote:
"We buy the gallons at St. John Ice and refill them."

Stupid question Where does the water that you get at St. John Ice come from?

Mia, I don't think that is a stupid question. I was wondering the same thing. Is the water from St. John ice filtered?

sedi wrote:I wouldn't drink cistern water with your mouth, any of "YOU'S"!!!!!!!

Capt John

Aye Aye to that, Cap'in!

We have always bought the 4 gallon box of water at Starfish that is sitting by the exit door. Then we buy a case of poland spring individual bottles, use them first, then pour the water from the gallons into those when those are gone. My wife and mother in law usually do this - they tend to work much too hard on vacation.

But we're with the captain...we only use cistern water to shower with and to brush our teeth with. Also, the fact that many times that water is delivered by a truck (like pool water) kind of sceeves me out.

BTW, that water at Starfish is pretty cheap...5 bucks for 4 gallons.

waterguy wrote:God I'm starting to sound like a local past where something used to be next it will be turn right where the cow stands some of the time. LOL

Hi everyone, I've been to St. John four times and have always drunk the bottled water in the gallon jugs from the grocery store. I don't think the places where I stayed at had very advanced filtration systems and I just didn't want to take any chances. But I'm getting tired of lugging cases of bottled water home so this year I'm bringing one of those PUR water filters that you clip onto the faucet. Has anyone else ever tried this? I was going to bring one last year but I decided not to for some reason.

The water in cruz bay comes from STT it has to meet the same epa standards that water in the US does. The reason the villas don't have water from there there aren't any water mains outside of town. By the way STT uses desalantion to make its water.

Even if the water at a villa is filtered, you don't know when the filter was last changed. Our water pump broke last week and in the course of repairing it, it appeared it was long overdue for a change.

I drink tap water in most restaurants, but bottled water at villas. Our rental agency left a gallon of bottled as part of our welcome package. That kind of told me something.

Filtering doesn't cut it you need a UV system or reverse osmoesis systen to either kill the bad stuff or to remove it.

Yea...case of smaller bottles for lugging about and then the 4 for $5 sounds like a deal for me.

As another in the group said to me last night: don't we just drink beer?

DELETED

My friends on island say "Always look at the gutters and roof where you're staying" when deciding on to drink the water or not. I'm not squeamish, as we live in an area without city water, but I don't generally drink the tap water on STJ. None of the villas that we've stayed in had a filter system. If I stayed in one with filtering, I would drink the water as long as the system looked like it was maintained. Dirty water filters can be dangerously bacteria laden! Actually being a beer drinker, I can't substantiate the rumor, but I thought that rum came out of the taps???!!