This story in today’s Star Tribune is amusing. Amusing more for the comments than anything else.

It’s a well-known fact for those of us who live or have lived in the city of Minneapolis that every spring, the tap water smells and tastes “off”. What I notice the most is a fishy taste/smell, however, a Brita pitcher or other water filtering system will take care of that problem. That funk is what signifies spring to me now, funny enough.

But the comments are gold. Take this one:

What?! MPLS gets its drinking water from the MISSISSIPPI?!!! This is a joke, right?

Where do you THINK tap water comes from, a magical fairy fountain of pure, virgin, crystal clear water? It comes from the river. Why are so many people shocked by this?

Another gem:

I recall reading a few years ago that this swamp odor would be a thing of the past because of some big $ spent on a fix. Why didn’t it work? In the land of 10,000+ lakes we should not have stinky drinking water.

Um, that would be a NO because the funding was cut because the government here didn’t believe in “infrastructure improvements.”

Finally, some sanity:

You want to pay for it, or do you want it for free? Then do you want to use that more expensive water to wash your car and water your lawn? Just buy a carbon filter for your faucet, or use bottled water for a month and half (it comes in 5 gal jugs). Minneapolis gets it water from the Mississippi River. To avoid the seasonal changes you would need much more expensive filters, or switch the source, say, to wells. All of these options will cost you a lot of money.

Are we so weak in this society that any tiny little thing that’s “icky” or not completely perfect is an “OMG MAJER PROBLMZ”! Just be glad that the water you have available to you is safe to drink. In developing countries, about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions and over one-third of the world’s population has no access to sanitation facilities.

So take a step back from your whining about how every spring that you smell something “funny” and be thankful you live in this country and not sub-Saharan Africa.