There are already several posts that are available online and discuss the water quality in Tel Aviv (or Israel), and the question if it is safe to drink tap water in Tel Aviv. Sadly, most of them just quote the formal Ministry of Health data or follow some general international indicators and benchmarks, which is nice but doesn’t really give you the full picture. So I thought it would be nice to give you the local point of view on this matter.
As a local Tel-Avivian, whenever I am being asked if the tap water in Tel Aviv is drinkable I answer as follows: Yes and No.
Why Yes
Yes, as the water in Tel Aviv (and all over Israel) is very safe to drink.
There are regulations for guaranteeing the quality of drinking water, and the Ministry of Health makes sure to update these based on scientific development, accumulated knowledge, analytical developments and international legislation.
Water sources are tested in laboratory tests (for the detection of over 130 different components) before they are approved for supply as drinking water, and all the water supplied to the public is decontaminated with Chlorine, which prevents the development of harmful bacteria.
For more info on this subject, you can check the official FAQ page of the Israeli Ministry of Health regarding the drinking water.
Why Not
However, in many buildings the pipes are pretty old, which means the tap water can sometimes become “Hard Water” – which is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone, chalk or gypsum, minerals which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates.
Is this bad? actually no, and it might even have some moderate health benefits.
The World Health Organization says that “there does not appear to be any convincing evidence that water hardness causes adverse health effects in humans” (Source). And in fact, the United States National Research Council has found that hard water actually serves as a dietary supplement for calcium and magnesium (Source).
However, this might give the water some after-taste, which may be good or bad (subjectively) or may be just different from the water you are used to drinking.
What Should You Do?
Hotels and restaurants almost always provide filtered water, as opposed to boiled. The problem is not bacterial, so the boiling is usually not necessary. This might also be one of the reasons why local Israelis are quite fond of bottled water (you can usually buy a 6-pack of 1.5 liter bottles in every convenience store, supermarket or gas station very cheap).
Personally I prefer to use a water filtering device (like Britta, for example). It filters the water on the spot and reduces the need to carry the heavy bottles, and you just need to change the filter of the device once a month.
Another pro tip regarding the tap water in Israel – You should always cool it before drinking. The difference between warm and cold water in Israel is like the difference between heaven and earth. Try it and you will thank me.
How Much Bottled Water Cost in Israel?
At a kiosk it will cost around 4 to 6 NIS per bottle (they charge more for refrigerated bottles). At a supermarket you can often buy a 6-pack of 1.5-liter bottles for around 12 to 20 ILS.
So, to sum it up –
Is Tap Water In Tel Aviv Safe To Drink?
Definitely YES.
but it might just taste a bit weird. Try to chill it before drinking, filter it or just get a 6 pack of bottled water.
By the way, this answer will be similar between Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem or Tel-Aviv and Haifa – The situation is quite similar in all cities in Israel.