Military Resources
I never used to think about the water we drank.
In fact, I thought most people who worried about whether their water was filtered were a little high maintenance. I was a self-proclaimed “tap water girl.”
It was only once we were preparing to leave Okinawa a few years ago that I started to take a second look. A friend of mine explained how being a military base, a lot of chemicals had been buried into the ground or leeched into the ground from chemical spills and that it’s nearly impossible to get out of the water.
I stood there silently as I recalled going through my entire second pregnancy and a year of breastfeeding while drinking the potentially contaminated water.
Not a soul ever said I shouldn’t drink the water.
And as recently as May of this year, Japanese officials have continued to warn local nationals NOT to drink the water surrounding Kadena Air Base due to unsafe levels of contaminants. Even the Washington Post covered this big controversy.
After digging deeper into some of the water issues at Camp Lejuene and bases in South Carolina, it became obvious to me that this was an issue I was no longer willing to take a chance on.
Adding fuel to the fire, was a recent article that detailed numerous military bases that tested too high for dangerous water chemicals.
Here’s the hard part.
Halting the use of dangerous firefighting foams and switching to “safer” options is a start; however, the remnants of past chemical contamination remains. Once it’s in the water table, it’s not all that easy to get out.
Three Colorado communities are looking at an 11 million dollar bill to clean up their water due to firefighting foams used at Peterson Air Force Base.
Many military bases tout safe water.
I get it.
The drinking water might be safe.
But, I’m no longer willing to play Russian roulette with my drinking water, only to find out two decades later that it contained contaminants known to cause cancer and organ failure.
There’s another problem for military families with any water contaminants near military bases: It is very hard to prove.
With military families moving every few years, it’s difficult to know which water source may have contributed to disease. A disease that may not show up for 10-20 years.
To go back and say, it was this base that we lived at 15 years ago is a hard thing to do.
Regardless if the water is deemed safe or not, we do not drink the tap water.
For a while we were purchasing water from a reverse osmosis water station and filling four 5-gallon jugs once every week to week and a half. We would pour it into a water dispenser and used it for everything from cooking to drinking to making coffee.
The only problem with the jugs is they are heavy, and when we ran out of water, we would need to make a trip to the water station and get them refilled. On top of that, reverse osmosis does not reduce volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) or endocrine disruptors.
At home water filters like a Brita or PUR, aren’t enough. They offer basic filtration by reducing chlorine, but are not effective at removing VOCs, heavy metals, endocrine disruptors or fluoride.
(Side note: If fluoride has any benefit, it would be directly to the teeth, as drinking the fluoride has not been statistically shown to increase oral health at all. Additionally, fluoride has been linked to thyroid problems and other disorders when consumed internally.)
To read more on water filtration options and see all the pros and cons, check out this post on water filtration options from Wellness Mama.
Here’s what we use now:
Berkey recently gifted us a water filter and dispenser, and we will never go back.
The Berkey filter gets out…
- Fluoride – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Viruses – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Pathogenic Bacteria – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Lead – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Arsenic – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Iron – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Mercury – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Chlorine – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Trihalomethane(THMs) – Removed to greater than 99.8%.
- Bisphenol-A – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Chloramines – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Pharmaceuticals – Removed to greater than 99.5%.
- Petroleum Contaminants – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Methylcyclohexane-methane – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Pesticides – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Heavy Metals – Removed to greater than 99.1%.
- Coliform and e-Coli – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Atrazine – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
- Uranium – Removed to greater than 97.0%.
- Gross Alpha emitters – Removed to greater than 98.7%.
When it comes to filtering water in your home, this is the best you can get. You can read more about the Berkey test results here.
It’s really easy to use.
All you do is add more water in the top. It goes through the filter and into the bottom reservoir. Then viola, place glass or pitcher under spout and dispense. It’s easy to take with us if we are going camping or traveling somewhere with the car. Just take along and filter as you go. It saves on buying bottled water and the plastic waste that goes along with all of that.
Berkey has all different types and sizes of water filters, but the one we have is the 1.5 gallon Travel Berkey.
Here are all the features that come along with the Travel Berkey…
- Great for 1-3 People
- Comes Standard with 2 Black Berkey Filters at $249 (4¢ per Gallon!)
- 2 Black Berkeys Filter Approx 6000 Gallons of Water
- Storage Capacity: 1.5 Gallons (5.7 Liters)
- Height: 19″
- Diameter: 7.5″
- Portability: The upper chamber nests within the lower chamber for transport and stands only 12″ in height
- Weight: 8 lbs (2 BB Elements)
- Max Filters: 2 Black Berkeys (upper) + 2 PF-2 Fluoride Filters (lower)
To help give back and spread the word about Berkey filters, I’ve partnered with Berkey to giveaway a 1.5 gallon Travel Berkey to one of YOU.
In order to enter, all you need to do is two things:
- Comment below about how you consume water – via the tap, a filter, a water station or something else.
- And include in your comment if you’re thinking about making a change.
This giveaway will be open for one week (closes Aug 10, 2019) and I’ll name the winner in the comments and email the winner to get the shipping information. The water filter and dispenser will arrive to your doorstep directly from Berkey!
Want more on military life?
- The Reality of Surviving a Surprise PCS Move
- 13 Totally Awesome Military Spouse Facebook Groups You Didn’t Know About
- To My Military Spouse Friends…You’ll Never Know
- 21 Best Deployment Quotes for Military Spouses and Significant Others
We use a PUR filter.
At our home town, it worked great and really made a difference (I refused to drink from the tap, it tasted awful!). But we just moved to my husband’s first PDS and the water tastes awful even with the filter so I’ve been looking for something to switch to.
We drink water from bottled water unless I’m drinking coffee I typically use tap for this thinking it being boiled is fine. Was considering using filter but after reading this article think safe bet is spend a little extra money on bottled water. Thank you for post.
Right now we drink the filtered water from the refrigerator. But I have looked into the Berkey and always wanted to get one.
We currently use a PUR filter. This article gave so many insights into why making a change is a good idea.. so many things I never thought about! I didn’t realize how much there really is to filter out of water and that filtered water should be used for more than drinking, like cooking. I would love to make a change to a filter like the Berkey that would actually give my family and I safe water to use!
We use a PUR filter on our kitchen sink. Just like you though, I feel like it isn’t enough filtration and I need something better, so I’m trying to find other options that would be better.
We live in Albuquerque and have such hard water. People have been saying that the tap water is so very horrible and that it contains a lot of heavy metals. I have tried filters but no matter what we do we can’t find a water filter system that can help enough. The water even tastes gross. We end up having to fill jugs at Whole Foods to get pure water. It is a hassle. It would be amazing to try this water filter system and finally get pure water without all the hassle. 💛
We drink a lot of water. I have a toddler who I only give water to. We use a PUR filter right now but I am definitely looking to upgrade to a better one. I am so worried about what gets through the other filter. Hope whoever wins uses it. There is all kinds of things in the water on base.
I had no idea the water on bases could be that bad. We have a Primo water station we got from Sam’s Club. We refill our two 5 gallon jugs once evey 2wks. My husbands new orders are for Japan and we are moving there for 3yrs. The water situation is definitely scary thing and I need to make sure our water is as filtered as can be. For my families health especially my daughter. I’m sure whoever wins it will be putting it to good use.
I have always drank purified bottled water. I would love to make a change to help to environment for future generations.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
We’re “just” a reserve family that’s moved 4 times in the last 7 years, and there are installations we’ve lived on that have me seriously reconsidering our water drinking habits.
1. We generally drink either fridge filtered water or tap (I don’t like cold water, so I’m a tap drinker).
2. We are considering a change.
My fiance and I use a brita filter, though with our impending move next year, and after reading this article, I am definitely thinking of a change.
We just moved onto base for the first time and after reading a local article and seeing test results I am definitely looking into safer water options. We’re currently using a pur on tap filter plus a Brita pitcher until we can afford something that is more effective.
We go to the water filling station every week. I’ve heard about the Berkley system before but did not realize it filters out so many contaminants. Definitely worth considering.
We drink tap water. I have been thinking alot about getting a purifying filter lately, think it will be healthier then drinking the tap water.
Love this, and the timing couldn’t be better! We have been drinking filtered water from our refrigerator, which uses a GE Smart Filter. A friend introduced me to Berkey about three years ago and I’ve wanted one ever since. However, the cost (and my husband’s uncertainty of it being any better than our fridge filter) have kept me from purchasing one. We PCSed three weeks ago and moved into our base home on Thursday only to discover black mold growing under the sink and in the fridge ice and water dispenser on Friday. I’m so disgusted I’m absolutely wanting to switch to a Berkey!
We drink from the tap but have recently been considering making a change
We use tap water at our duty station. I don’t really worry about it for my husband and I but I am a little worried about how it can effect ours kids. I have been debating a change but trying to figure out all the research and the money to afford a berkey has been a lot of work! Thank you for this post and resources!
We use tap water and I have never considered the consequences until now. Now I am definitely going to have to make a change.
August 4, 2019 at 6:40 pm
Reposting here because I think I accidentally replied to someone else’s comment above… Love this, and the timing couldn’t be better! We have been drinking filtered water from our refrigerator, which uses a GE Smart Filter. A friend introduced me to Berkey about three years ago and I’ve wanted one ever since. However, the cost (and my husband’s uncertainty of it being any better than our fridge filter) have kept me from purchasing one. We PCSed three weeks ago and moved into our base home on Thursday only to discover black mold growing under the sink and in the fridge ice and water dispenser on Friday. I’m so disgusted I’m absolutely wanting to switch to a Berkey!
We’re stationed in 29 Palms now and the water is terrible. We’re forced to buy bottled water and man it’s expensive! We’re looking for a change for our house since we bought here, but it’s challenging.
We are looking for a better filter system. We’re on Ft Benninf, our entire neighborhood has undergone lead abatement for the walls AND bath tubes. They have replaced SOME of the water lines to the houses, but not all. I am pregnant and we have resorted to the 5 gallon jugs as well.
We use a PUR filter and drink from the tap most of the time. We currently live on a military base (3rd one in 6 years), I’ve always been worried about what’s in the tap water. I’ve never heard of the Berkley filtration before but I would love to get one!
We do bottled water. This actually became a huge issue for us when we learned about areas like Anniston after moving to Alabama. We also don’t drink soda or anything, so we go through A LOT of water. We buy about 4 crates every time we go to the commissary. Absolutely going to look into the Berkey filter! Thank you so much for bringing attention to this. More families need to know!
We use water bottles.
I am actually thinking about changing once we have our own home. It would be easier to have our own stuff in our own home.
Just arrived at our next duty station and everyone is telling me to not drink the water. My recycling heart can’t handle all the plastic that would need to go through my house SO THIS post just was a gift form above. So thankful I read it and can look at other options to keep my family safe and the environment happy. Thank you!!!
We use the filtered on our fridge and tap water but now I’m skeptical. We grew up on farms far from the airy where the underground water table was your only source. After reading this article though I will definitely start researching other systems.
We use the water from the fridge filter system
We use a Brita Pitcher. We lived on base, but we recently moved a town over. While I’m not AS worried about the water, it still concerns me because we’re only a town away from base. I’ve looked into a Berkey several times, but never taken the leap because of cost.
I’ve always been picky about my water. I grew up on filtered well water, so that pretty much ruined me. We are using a Zero Water pitcher now, but would like to switch it up because it’s made of all plastic. I recently was introduced to a Berkey filter at my cousin’s house. Since then I’ve been looking into Berkey and all the goodness it offers. I am currently pregnant with our first, so lotsss of water intake is essential for me and baby. I know the Berkey filter system would be a great fit!
I had no idea the water on bases could be that bad. We have a Primo water station we got from Sam’s Club. We refill our two 5 gallon jugs once evey 2wks. My husbands new orders are for Japan and we are moving there for 3yrs. The water situation is definitely scary thing and I need to make sure our water is as filtered as can be. For my families health especially my daughter. I’m sure whoever wins it will be putting it to good use.
My family and I currently use a water delivery service (Sparkletts) that deliver us (3) 5-gallon bottles of water. I have been with the company almost 10 years I love the service and so does my family. I want to continue using them but we may not be able to once we leave to our FDS. We are definitely trying to find out the next best thing.
We currently use a PUR pitcher filter. This is not the first time I’ve heard of the questionable water quality among military installations. Even after discussing with my husband, he does not make it a habit to drink the filtered water. A friend at our current base has a Berkey filter (I believe this same one) and absolutely loves it. I would love to have a reliable filter to feel comfortable with our consumption.
We use water filter. Now I am freaking out. Ever since I got pregnant, we’ve been super careful of where we get our water. We used to use tap water but when I was pregnant, I smelled pretty bad odor from our tap water. I did my research and switched over to filter water.
We drink from the fridge filter but it’s probably long overdue for a filter change.
Filtering water better would be a great option if it wasn’t hundreds of dollars.
We use the fridge filtration, I also use Kor water bottles with a mini filters and my husband uses a Britta water bottle.
We always love finding & trying out new filter brands to see which works best for us!
Right now loving on base we’ve been using a tap filter. This has been on my mind awhile and I hope there’s can be a better solution soon.
We are a navy family. I guess you could say I’m high maintenance- I always have a filtered water bottle with me.
Tap water around the globe, (Sounds crazy) but I can taste the difference.
I have a friend who has a Berkey; but I couldn’t afford to get one for my home.
For now, we have Brita pitchers, water bottles and filters in our fridge.
The only tap water I’ve ever not questioned is in ARUBA.
The island is very proud of their clean water.
– We currently live at Fort Bliss, TX and we knew something had to be wrong with the water when we got here because the fridge we have in on-base house has a water filter built in! (We’ve never seen that before!) It still doesn’t taste very good unless it’s freezing cold.
At all of our other duty stations prior to this one, we’ve bought cases of water, gone through various Brita filters, then a Pur filter, then a Zero filter which I think worked the best out of all of them, the water actually tasted great but we ended up going back to plastic bottles whenever my husband would deploy because it was easier on me with the kids🤦🏻♀️
– I would LOVE to make a change, reading about this has made me seriously reconsider what I’m allowing into mine and my family’s bodies.
Here at Polk we have generally been drinking our tap water and the water that goes through the filter in our refrigerator. I had never really thought about it as I grew up drinking well water. Thanks for posting this and I will definitely be considering changing our water habits!
I currently use a Brita filter or buy bottled water! I hate to waste all the plastic so I try to avoid buying the bottles. We’ve been trying to figure out what the best option would be because I’ve heard nothing but terrible things about the water here!
We use a faucet filter, but I’m definitely looking for a change. This sounds like a great product for our family. We’ll definitely be researching it further.
We drink tap water but I recently came across articles explaining how our groundwater is contaminated with carcinogens from fracking. I have been exploring healthy alternatives but I have yet to find one that fits our needs.
We use a filter on our fridge, but your article has given me something to think about.
We’ve always used a brita filter, but our new base housing has a fridge spigot, so we’re using that filtered water currently. I’ve been looking at switching for some time now, and I’ve been eyeing the Berkey for a couple years! But the price….
Currently drink from a Brita filter or tap, but have been looking to change to a better filter.
We’re currently stationed in South Korea & living in off post housing. Literally every.single.one of the apartments or homes that we were shown included a countertop water filtration system. We all thought it was just something to tempt Americans but considering the history and our fairly rural location (Pyeongtaek, not Seoul – lots & lots of rice paddies), this article has me thinking maybe they know something we don’t 🤔.
We’ve always been tap drinkers, but had an in-house reverse osmosis filtration system in our house in TX & used Brita filters in OH & nothing when we were in NM…..
We just had our 1st baby, so now we’re DEFINITELY looking for a clean water option that is controllable by us & consistently available!
We currently use a brita filter for water we consume bit I’ve been looking into other options. This looks awesome!
We just moved to Naples Italy and were told the tap water on base was okay to drink but did have some extra calcium and wasn’t all the greatest tasting. We were told not to drink water out in town. We have 7 people in our family and drink a lot of water. We have been using the zero water filter but are considering getting jugs to refill at the one base here where they have a reverse asking us a system. With having five kids and moving around to different places we definitely are concerned about the water we drink and are discussing what we want to do differently. Thank you for your post we Are open for options.
We drink from filter on tap but we want a better solution to really filter all the potential nasty stuff since we live on base and we already had health due to severe mold in base housing.
We currently live at Fort Campbell and drink tap water using a Britta faucet filter, but I had no idea that wasn’t enough! I’m currently breastfeeding my 9mo, plus we have a 4yo and we all drink water daily. I hate thinking I’ve been putting them in danger with our water consumption – something that’s supposed to be good for us! I definitely would like to make a change, and as much as I’d LOVE a Berkey system, it is SO FAR out of our budget right now. But it’s definitely a short term savings goal now, because we need something better than just hoping and praying our water is safe to drink!
We used to buy water bottles, but I hated wasting all of the plastic so we use a Brita filter now. However, I’ve been skeptical for awhile and I think I’ll be looking for a change after reading this!
Right now we use bottled water, but I would love a Berkey to cut down on our plastic waste.
We are stationed at Patrick AFB which is one of the bases coming under scrutiny due to the bad water on the base and off base. High cancer rates that have affected young friends of mine who grew up near the base. One of them succumbed to the cancer. We are using bottled water for everything, but hear that even bottle water is not safe! Recently started researching Berkley and feel this is the best option.
We use a Brita filter for our kitchen sink and a filter I found on sale on Amazon for the shower. After reading this, we might consider other options!
I used to drink tap water, assuming that whatever city we were living in would surely be taking precautions to ensure that the drinking water was safe. Then I discovered the Environmental Working Group’s tap water database and realized there are TONS of concerning chemicals in my water. We bought a Brita faucet filter at my husband’s last duty station, and that’s what we use currently (we are now stationed near Petersen AFB coincidentally!) I am looking to make a change because from everything I have read, the Brita filters just don’t cut it for certain contaminants. A Berkey has been on my wishlist for some time, we’re saving up! Thanks so much for writing this post, I had no idea that there are often extra contaminants in areas around military posts!
We use our fridge filter currently. I have heard a lot of good things about Berkey filters from friends and would love to try it!
We are lucky to have a natural spring about 25 minutes north of our current duty station. We drive there about every week or so and fill up all of our glass carboys. Unfortunately, we are moving soon and there’s no natural spring where we’re going. I’ve been looking into filters to determine which one we’re going to purchase. Berkey is definitely on our list!
We use bottled water and have been looking but haven’t found anything I like!
We currently use the water filter system on our refrigerator. However, we will be moving to WP next summer and I will be looking into a water filtering system for when we live on post.
We currently use a Brita filter, but we would love to make the change. This sounds like it’s way better than what we currently have.
We use a basic water filter now, pur.
I am not very much considering to make a switch as I once thought it was enough. But with my little family, guests in and out, and pets in the household, It is crazy to see evidence of even a water filter at home not being enough. Wouldn’t want more medical problems amongst the ones already present!!!
My husband drinks tap water, I refuse to (I use a PUR filter). I have never liked drinking tap water, I’ve always thought it was gross. I guess rightfully so! Lol. I felt so safe with my PUR filter, but now I’m gonna look into more details of this and other options! I don’t particularly want to use a bunch of plastic water bottles though :/.
We currently live on Camp Pendleton and have reverse osmosis for our drinking water and a whole house water softener. In our previous home here we had a water delivery service for drinking water only. We are given the base water reports regularly and they make me cringe. If a could afford a better filtration system than what we have now I would do it in a heartbeat.
We currently use the PUR water filtration system through our refrigerator. However, since having our first child we’ve become much more concerned as to whether that is enough. Always looking to learn more and expand our awareness of the potential dangers and affordable solutions.
Hello. I used a Shaklee pitcher with a filter for years. My last 2 assignments we’ve had a refrigerator water system in the door with a filter that makes up 90% of our drinking water.
We just moved to a new base, have been drinking from the tap but I’m not convinced the waters fine to drink.
I’ve been wanting to get filtered water system for health purposes & to be more environmentally friendly than refilling plastic jugs.
We use a water service because the water here is disgusting. i would love to use a Kinetico water filtration system again, buts it’s impossible to take it with us with all the moves.
I would really love to not have to pay for a water service and have a on demand water filtration system that we can take with us through all the PCS we have coming.
I’ve been wanting to try the Berkey filtration system for some time now but haven’t wanted to spend the money on it because the Brita filters are considerably cheaper. The water here at the base my husband and I are stationed near reeks of bleach so we use a Brita daily. After reading this, I might just have to bite the bullet and get the Berkey! We even fill our water bottles before going to the gym just so we don’t have to fill them up at the water fountains at the gym in base 🙄 this was a great article!
We currently drink tap water, though it is filtered through our fridge. After reading this article, I really am curious about the water test results at Fort Hood! I had a positive blood test for arsenic, and I wonder if the water was the reason. My husband was deployed at the time, so he’s off the hook haha. But seriously, the first test was at a high range, and the second test a couple months later was an “acceptable level,” whatever that means. We recently had someone test the water at our new house, and the amount of solids and chlorine in the water were crazy. The company that tested the water wanted $8,000 for their filter system. Let’s be honest, soldiers don’t make enough to throw that much money at the water, especially when they have large families like us. We would love to have a filter system that we know works, so thank you for the opportunity to compete in the giveaway!
We currently use water from a few sources in our home. Tap water, filtered from the fridge, & occasionally bottled water from the store have all been options for us in the past. I’ve slowly become more aware of what is in our water and what could potentially be in the water that we are unaware of. Reading this article and seeing my healthy friends make a change with a Berkey filter has encouraged me to want to make a change to. With cleaner water, it would be easier to stay hydrated and motivating to keep our food and drinks cleaner while at home and on the road. We enjoy traveling, but one issue we commonly come across is how different the water is from town to town and the waste of plastic bottles as we travel. With a Berkey filter, we can camp our hearts out without worrying what type of water we are consuming and cooking with. We look forward to our new Berkey!
Right now we drink the filtered water from the refrigerator. But I have looked into the Berkey and always wanted to get one.
Right now we use Pur filters but I would love something that lasts longer. I only just found out about the Berkey this last month and was pretty intrigued by it, definitely would be worth the switch.
My daughter in law grew up in a military base and was diagnosed with lymphoma at her first pregnancy. She went through chemo and had two more pregnancies. She has a put water filter but with three boys (youngest is 5 months) they go through a lot of water. She can’t afford to filter the well system so she tries to dilute juices and keep filling the filter container. So far she is cancer free and I would love for her to get this filter. Her mother died of the same cancer.
I am a tap water girl and my husband is a filtered water from the fridge kind of guy. This was a great eye opening article for me as a new moma and as a nurse. Thank you! I will be reading more into these issues to learn more and perhaps get a filtration system as well!
We currently use a Pur faucet filter. We just began our mil journey (at age 30 and 32!), and this was really interesting to me. I lived in the same area for the first 30 years of my life in an area that openly adds fluoride to the water supply. I have minor thyroid issues (probably because of this, after reading this post!), but have been using a Brita or Pur filter for about 10 years or so- now I know its not enough and am DEFINITELY considering a switch, now!
We currently use the fridge GE filter for drinking, the tap for cooking. I have thought about switching to a different filtration system but something else always comes up instead. I definitely never considered that drinking the water around bases were unsafe! Thanks for the heads up!
We have been using a water filtration provider to deliver water to us, but it’s a little costly and the company isn’t located everywhere we have been. I have been searching for a water filtration system that filters everything out of the water for us, but that we can also take with us wherever we pcs.
We typically drink bottled water, but use the tap water to cook, make coffee, exc…..
I learned a lot while reading your article! I have never really minded drinking tap water, but my husband grew up drinking bottled water. After reading this though, tap water is out! this was very enlightening!
We have been drinking tap water since we moved to the Fort Bragg, NC area. But when we were stationed out at Fort Irwin, CA we always drank bottled but used tap for cooking, coffee, etc. They had little “reverse osmosis” faucets installed in all the homes (but none in offices where we worked or for the water soldiers consumed in the training area) I know they just re did the water treatment plant out there, but I wonder why? If the reverse osmosis system was supposedly taking care of the impurities in the water…
Reading your article and we might switch back to bottled here, but I feel terrible about the environmental impact!
We’re stationed at Lejeune and opted out of living on base partly because of the water issue. We currently use filtered water from
our refrigerator since we are renting a home.
Switching to something portable sounds like a fabulous option! Thanks for raising awareness about this issue!
we currently use a PUR filter but this news is disconcerting to me we’re stationed at Yokota and I assumed that the water was fine but hearing about contaminants so close to us hits home. I will be researching alternative water sources.
We have used the britta-type water pitchers for years. But the Berkeley sounds amazing and I would love to change to something that is a better filter!
This has always been an “ignorance is bliss” thing for me…but we have a reverse osmosis system that we drink from. We pay a company monthly for that and water softening, because it is a MUST on Camp Pendleton according to everyone when you ask! lol.
We are PCSing to a small base soon and I don’t think there is a service like this offered by a local company, so we may have to invest in something similar to your Berkey filter.
We are moving to Okinawa this next week and this is something we’ve been very concerned about. We’ve looked at buying a Berkeley but just haven’t done it yet in the chaos of moving internationally. Right now we just use fridge filtered water in our hydroflasks but we need something more substantial in Oki.
We live in Albuquerque and have such hard water. People have been saying that the tap water is so very horrible and that it contains a lot of heavy metals. I have tried filters but no matter what we do we can’t find a water filter system that can help enough. The water even tastes gross. We end up having to fill jugs at Whole Foods to get pure water. It is a hassle. It would be amazing to try this water filter system and finally get pure water without all the hassle. 💛
We use the water filter built into our fridge for drinking and then use the tap for cooking. The water is usually okay but switching to something more trustworthy and portable sounds great!
I’ve been drinking filtered water most of my adult life until moving to Fort Bragg. The reason being this was a last minute move and because I’ve been lax getting another filtration system. I was thrilled to read that the system you spoke of was the Berkey! I’ve had it saved in my amazon faves list for a while and just hadn’t gotten around to buying it. So glad others are being exposed to it through you!
We currently drink straight from the tap 😳 but I’ve been wanting to get a filtering system of some type. As we prepare to start a family, I want to be putting the purest water into my body but don’t want to spend the money on cases of wasteful plastic water bottles.
We use a pur filter on our tap. I can’t really drink regular tap water due to the chlorine. It can easily set off my asthma. I would definitely like to switch to something better. I have 2 special needs kids that I don’t like to drink straight tap water either due to all the chemicals. The filters on the pur system don’t seem to last very long either.
We use a pur filter on our tap. I can’t really drink regular tap water due to the chlorine. It can easily set off my asthma. I would definitely like to switch to something better. I have 2 special needs kids that I don’t like to drink straight tap water either due to all the chemicals. The filters on the pur system don’t seem to last very long either.
I grew up on a farm in the country & never had to worry about the water. Another good reason to not like living in the city!
I use a PUR filter and reusable water containers. I do my best to always bring back up water so I don’t have to buy water while I’m out since it’s not always an option to buy water from glass containers.
I have wanted to try the Berkey Water System since I first learned of it a few years ago. Winning this giveaway would be such a great thing for my family as I worry so much about what goes into our bodies.
Thanks for this opportunity 💖
We are moving to Okinawa in a few weeks- yikes! Did they ship there? How did you get it?
Also I’d love to win one!!!
Also I’d love to win one!!! Right now we drink straight from the tap! But I’m trying to make changes
This is super interesting. Thanks for writing about the filter system you use. I’m going to look more into it because my extended family has to bring water to the cabin to drink (including for the dogs) because it’s so high in iron in our well.
Hello Lauren) Thank you very much for this article, it was an eye-opener for me to see what we really drink. Currently all my family drinks directly from a tap and also defrosted or boiled water. I was never keen on bottles, as considered them a sort of a con: tap water for money. However, with my toddlers always full of energy and thirsty, I have been looking to change to a Brita filter. I am convinced now, that only a proper filtering system (like the Berkey, for example) can make a difference to a quality of water. In this case: you pay for what you get. And at the end of the day: water is the biggest investment in your family life, health and well-being, so its all worth it.
We bought a home last year outside of Ft. Benning. I have always felt weird about drinking water around bases that we do a lot of bottle water and the PUR filter is attached to the kitchen sink faucet. We are a family of seven and I would love for us to have better quality drinking water. Ones health isn’t something to take lightly. Thank you for the opportunity to win a better at home filtration system.
Hi Lauren! Thanks so much for bringing this topic up and focusing my attention more on this topic. We just moved into a house, which is on well water. We’re finding there are a lot of sediments in the water. I’m still learning exactly what those sediments are and the water’s makeup/balance. So, in the meantime, we’re drinking filtered water from our refrigerator. I’m very interested in using the Berkey Water System though! The travel Berkey sounds really convenient and worth it!
We were using a standing water tower with the 5 gallon jugs till one day we came home to 5 gallons of water on our kitchen floor. It apparently malfunctioned while we were out 😩. Now we buy water from Costco and that gets heavy trying to lug in a ton of water packs cause we drink water like it’s going out of style. I’ve been looking into switching due to us going through so many plastic water bottles. We do recycle our bottles but that means having space to put the recycling and we fill up our recycle bin so fast.
I drink about 6 to 8 bottles of water a day. We buy Walmart water the cases are about $4 w/ 40 bottles. We buy 10 cases at the beginning of each month & still run out before months end. That doesn’t include the water I buy as I’m out & about during the day. I’ve recently buckled down on my weightless goals so water is all I drink. I’m looking to be better to the environment & use less water bottles but at the moment it’s the best way to get my family a healthy source of water. Fort Eustis doesn’t have the best option. The water, sink, dishwasher all smells like the sewer. I contain call for assistance, with no fix or end in sight.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to share thoughts and leave a comment. This giveaway is now closed. A random number between 0-100 was chosen. 17 was the number selected. Counting down from the top of the comments, Krystyn Mast is the winner. I will be sending out an email for your info.