Can I filter the tap water in Lanzarote for drinking?

Question

I have read that the tap water in Lanzarote is not drinkable because it has an unpleasant taste, and may have been stored in an underground tank for some time before it comes out of the tap.

Several different companies produce portable water filters which remove bacteria, viruses, protozoa, lead and other pollutants. These claim to allow safe drinking of contaminated tap water, or even water taken straight from a river. Examples include:

• Water-To-Go Bottle
• DrinkSafe

However these filters cannot remove salt, and tend to clog with salt crystals if the water is brackish.

In Lanzarote the tap water is obtained by desalination of sea water. Is there too much residual salt to use these types of filters?

Answer 1

Drinking water lanzarote: Try not to drink the water that is available from the tap. The water is desalinated. The Canary Islands have evolved considerably over the past few decades - from a few farmers and locals to hundreds and hundreds of thousands of ex-pats and tourists, thus the need for cheap easily available water. Everyone drinks bottled water, or has a water filtration system (5 micron).

The salt particles in properly desalinated water are not dangerous (injurious) to you, but the taste of the water is not what is considered the 'norm' in the UK. However the water may contain other organisms that may not be good for you.

I lived in Lanzarote and other Canary Islands for many years, at times I have drunk the water, without harm to myself, though I would not recommend it to others. I would always recommend bottled or filtered water.

Unless you are living in the wilderness (this does not apply to anywhere in the Canary Islands) then personal water filtration/purification systems are a waste of time and money.

Answer 2

In the end I tried this myself. The tap water tastes fine after filtration, and I suffered no ill effects.