There are many types of water in the world, and since there was some confusion recently let me explain it to you (just in case you never knew).
Rain Water: it comes from the sky and causes muddy water. If it is left standing it causes vector laden water, which is bad. Don’t drink this water!
Distilled water: this is used in irons and other special uses but normally isn’t used for drinking because it has nothing in it.
Softened water: water that has been put through a process that takes out minerals, scale and other impurities that destroy pipes or make water taste bad (like sulphur). It means you have to buy a water softener and pay for either rock salt or potassium crystals and keeps Home Depot and Lowe’s in customers.
Gray water is water that might actually be gray in color, but it is water used to wash your clothes or dishes. It might have some dirt or soap but it can be used to water the grass or go into a septic tank without worry.
Potable water is treated water that might taste bad but you can drink it without harm.
Non-potable water is the kind of water that needs to be posted (except I guess in Texas) so you DON’T drink it. You can wash your hands, shower, and add it to your radiator if needed, but don’t drink it. In Iraq they are good about posting signs that say: “Non-potable Water! Do not drink it or brush your teeth with it! You can wash your hands or shower in it.” That is a pretty clear sign. They didn’t have signs in Kuwait for non-potable water and with the school system the way it is today they really need to.
Bottled water is water that has been processed, purified and placed into bottles for people to drink. In Iraq that is the only kind of water you should consume. In America you can drink tap water, but why do that when you can pay for it?
(The army has units that actually purify water from lakes, streams or rivers and bottle it. The acronym is ROWPU and I never thought I would ever see one actually be used. I saw the Army reserve once run a water line for several miles around Camp Roberts practicing pumping water, but I never thought they would actually be needed. Turns out they are a critical piece of equipment and we need them all. Without them we wouldn’t have a drop to drink!)
Tap water is water that comes out of the tap or faucet in your home. In America they call this treated, chlorinated and fluoridated water which tastes terrific. I recommend it and I must say I miss the taste of chlorine and other trace minerals in my water. I hope I can re-acquire the taste because I can’t afford to drink bottled water the rest of my life.
Mexican (and European and Iraq) Tap Water is to be considered non-potable. That also means it will give you the “green apple quick step” or “Montezuma’s revenge”, depending on where you drink it. Just because it comes from a tap doesn’t mean you should drink it! If they speak English as their first language you can drink it (except in Texas, but what language is that anyway? BTW, how ‘bout dem Cowboys!)
Lastly we come to black water, which is probably actually brown in color or sometimes found with a blueish tint. This is water that contains Class I downloads (class one is army supply talk for food). It is normally received at the final end of a sewer line or from a “honey truck” emptying porta-johns.
At Taji they pump out and bring in all the types of water mentioned here in trucks. Potable water comes in trucks cleverly labeled “Potable Water”. Non-potable water trucks are labeled “Non-Potable Water” and the tanks the pump into are also labeled. Gray and black water tanks are labeled appropriately (“Gray Water” and “Black Water”, not to be confused with the notorious contracting company that was first used for private security in Iraq “Blackwater” but with a similar odor when it was all said and done.)
Know your water and drink it daily.
John 4:14
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