The public drinking water supply in the Netherlands is one of the best in the world. For this reason there is a lot of international interest in the Dutch “miracle from the tap.” The recently published textbook “Drinking Water – Principles and Practices” unveils the secret of this Dutch miracle.
In the Netherlands we take it for granted that our drinking water is safe and tastes well. But in most countries, tap water is used to flush the toilet only, and not for drinking. Bottled water or in- house filters for purifying tap water are used instead. Even though the use of bottled water and in-house filters is expensive and not environmentally-friendly, people often choose this practice because of the mediocre quality of the tap water and the taste of chlorine.
The Dutch government and drinking water authorities have always made public health their first priority. This has led to the ground-breaking innovation, namely high quality drinking water that is soft, has a good taste, and is distributed without chlorine. The Dutch drinking water supply also distinguishes itself in other respects: it has the lowest leakage in the world and is supplied at all times with a very high reliability. The principles and practices of the Dutch drinking water supply which have led the Dutch to actually drink tap water and not use filters or bottled water are presented in the textbook.The need for an English publication stems from the international interest in the unique Dutch approach and the desire to follow the Dutch example.