Indeed, its 1999 Drinking Water Quality Report affirms that "Dallas water meets or is better than all state and federal water-quality requirements," and is rated a "Superior Public Water Supply," the highest rating given by the state of Texas.
Assistant City Manager Jeniffer Varley sent out a memo after the audit reminding employees to consider the "potential effect on citizens when they become aware that some employees will not drink the city's water."
Employees at 15 of the 49 municipal locations where bottled water is purchased claim that their tap water is discolored or tastes funny. The audit report suggests that that is due to old plumbing or faulty water fountains--not the water itself. The other 34 locations apparently have no drinking fountains or other water source.
The city is currently looking into more cost-efficient ways to provide potable water to employees, including building drinking fountains at facilities that don't have them, or fixing them if they are broken. "We're asking our departments, as they purchase bottled water, to really take a close look and think about whether it's necessary," says Dave Cook, Dallas' director of budget and management services. He also insists that the city's water is fine: "We sell billions of gallons of it!"
