This is a subject that is not discussed in the Canary Islands because it is one of those “truths” accepted by everyone that, if you do a little research, turns out not to be true: “Tap water from Gran Canaria should not be drunk”. Actually, locals don’t claim that it is harmful, but everyone recommends drinking bottled water “just in case”.
The carbon (and water and energy) footprint of bottled water
Do you know how much CO2 is released into the atmosphere by the manufacture of bottles, bottling and transportation of water for human consumption? Many scientific studies have tried to calculate the carbon footprint of bottled water. For every 1.5 litre bottle, between 44 and 600 grams of CO2 are released into the atmosphere, depending on which scientific study is consulted. Added to this is the consumption of energy (between 5.2 and 10.2 MJ per one-litre bottle) and water (17.41 litres per one-litre bottle). Because to bottle a litre of water, not only the litre inside the bottle is consumed. The bottle manufacturing plant consumes water for production, plus bottling and transport to your hands.
For these reasons, we at Casa Mimosa encourage you to avoid buying bottled water whenever possible.
Can you drink tap water in Gran Canaria or do you have to buy bottles?
Fortunately, tap water is safe to drink in Gran Canaria. You will notice that the local people never drink tap water and if you ask them, they will always recommend you to buy bottled water. Sadly, this was necessary years ago. When I grew up in Las Palmas in the 70s and 80s, the water that came out of the tap came from a water treatment plant that extracted and desalinated water from the sea. It was not advisable to drink it and you didn’t want to because the taste was awful.
Some things have changed since then. Nowadays, tap water in all of Spain is drinkable, including that of Gran Canaria. The quality of the water in the city of Las Palmas, although it still comes from the desalination plant, is among the best in Spain according to a recent study by the Spanish Consumers and Users Organisation (OCU). Although the quality of the water is excellent, the same cannot be said of its taste. In Las Palmas the “agua del chorro”, as we say here, still has a chlorine aftertaste that is not pleasant to the palate. But as soon as one leaves the capital for the midlands, the taste improves.
The University of Las Palmas did a study of the island’s water in 2021 and found that it is perfectly safe and meets all the necessary indicators. The author of the study also pointed out that tap water complies with much stricter health regulations than bottled water and that it is the most closely monitored of all the foodstuffs we consume.
Why do locals still drink bottled water?
The quality of water has improved a lot since I grew up in Gran Canaria, but there seems to have been no political will to change its bad image among the public. This is not surprising when you consider the economic power of the companies that have an interest in continuing to sell bottled water, starting with Coca-Cola and continuing with Nestlé. In many cases, the water bottled and sold by these companies is tap water.
This, combined with the fact that the taste of water in Las Palmas can still be improved, has contributed to the perpetuation of the legend of unhealthy water. The population is not sure if the water is safe to drink, but instead of informing themselves, most people prefer to continue drinking bottled water “just in case”.
Is it safe to drink tap water in the Agaete Valley?
In the Agaete Valley we have the privilege that the water is not only drinkable and perfectly safe, but also tastes surprisingly good. In fact, in the upper part of the valley you can still see the remains of the old “Aguas de Agaete” bottling plant. The water of Agaete was one of the most prized on the island, along with that of Firgas, San Roque, Teror and Los Tilos de Moya, which was the water we drank at home. There was a bottling plant in almost every village. In Arucas they were smarter and started distilling rum (if you like rum, don’t forget to try it, it’s called Arehucas).
If you are staying in Gran Canaria we encourage you to fill your water bottle with tap water and avoid carrying bottles or carafes unnecessarily.