Sunshine wrote:
I have news for the Costa Rica water lovers. 95% of waste water goes into the rivers untreated. Only 5% is treated. Where does the government go to get the water that they send thru the pipes as clean, fresh water? You guessed it. A lot of it comes from the rivers. They do treat it, but the raw material that they treat is pretty gross.
Factually you are correct, but the way your facts are presented is a little misleading.
The source for drinking water is upstream, before it is polluted.
Chitowngui wrote:
my doctor told me i probably got sick from rinsing my toothbrush with water from the faucet.
With all due respect to your doctor, he does not know what he is talking about. This is not Mexico. The tap water is good here.
Jester wrote:
They just got the re-fill of cokes which were warm so we asked for some ice. Seems the water in that part isn't treated like in SJO.
Not true. I live about 10 minutes from there. I am drinking coffee made from the exact same source right now. I do so everyday without a problem.
There are some remote parts of the country that do not have good water, but that is very rare. Costa Ricans get sick just like we do when they visit Mexico. This is not Mexico.
Sunshine wrote:
I haven't had a drink of "government" water in Costa Rica or in the States or anywhere else for many years. Governments screw up everything they touch. Why should their drinking water be any different?
Sunshine, I see the Republican coming out of you

I agree. The water in CR is fine. There are incidents of pipe breakages due to all the heavy construction and lack of detailed knowledge of the underground infrastructure. This can happen anywhere.
In 3 years, I have only been sick once. It could have been anything, including the CR flu. This is most likely the cause of most gastro sickness for tourists. They have a bug down here that we are not resistant to. If you have an extended stay, you are guaranteed to get it. It happened to me like clockwork and now I'm resistant.
What people need to watch out for is unwashed lettuce and vegetables. If you buy lettuce in the store, it has fresh dirt, manure and yes bugs.... lots of bugs. You need to wash it in water and a teaspoon of bleach. Most vegetables come straight from the farm.