Armed to the teeth with angry puns, hundreds of New Yorkers attended the Department of Conservation's fracking forum yesterday in Tribeca. Of the 40 to speak within the first few hours of the public comment period, just one man, Arthur J. Kremer of New York A.R.E.A., expressed his support for high volume hydraulic fracturing in upstate New York. During his three minutes, Kremer was interrupted by boos and hisses from the audience as he elaborated on the economic benefits of the controversial drilling method and asserted that over 50,000 jobs would be created should the plan to build and operate over 32,000 wells proceed. "If you travel to Pennsylvania, as I have," he said, "you will see that it's not an area of desolation, it's not a wasteland." more ›

Americans love them some bottled water, a fact corporations have not failed to notice. The average American family spends $615 per year on the stuff, with Latinos and blacks being "three times more likely to choose bottled water over the tap for their children." And in some parts of the country where public water is, shall we say, disgusting, that makes sense. But in New York City, home of the bottled and sold champagne of municipal tap waters, the idea of buying the stuff is pretty ludicrous. And now people are doing taste tests to prove it. more ›

Soon, we will all live underwater thanks to the mighty king tide! "Soon" being a relative term, of course. Today and tomorrow, the waterways around the city will be swollen to about two feet higher than their normal level, thanks to a rare all-natural phenomenon known as a king tide. more ›

Despite his millions, Mayor Bloomberg drinks the heavenly-tasting NYC tap water just like everyone else, and he doesn't think there's a goshdarn thing wrong with it—and he's not afraid to give the EPA a piece of his mind. more ›

We've all felt it prick the back of our necks, especially when we seem to be having a lousy day. The worst is when we're mid-sentence in a passionate debate over the merits of baked vs. regular Cheetos, and a dribble hits our lips, causing us to sputter at an invisible assailant. But are those drops of water falling from the city's A.C.'s slowly poisoning us, drip by drip? more ›

It's time someone had the cajones to take on Big Water: a Glasgow-based doctor has published a new report claiming that all those studies that suggest people should drink a lot of water and stay hydrated is all hogwash and balderdash. General practitioner Margaret McCartney argues that drinking the recommended eight glasses a day can actually be harmful for you, and the benefits of it are often exaggerated by "organisations with vested interests" such as bottled water brands. more ›

Nuclear Boy's stomach is still hurting, and that ache is now starting to affect Japan's food supply. Japan's health ministry announced today that an abnormal amount of radioactive materials iodine-131 and cesium-137 were detected in spinach grown about 70 miles northeast of Tokyo, and in a dairy farm 30 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The iodine was also found in some samples of the country's tap water, though it did not exceed accepted safety levels. Ministry official Ryusuke Hagiwara said, "This is the first time ever that an abnormal amount of radioactive material has been detected in food in Japan." more ›

While waiting for the city to come plow his neighborhood, city Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. is taking up another crusade: the fluoridation of water! Vallone is attempting to stop the decades-old practice of putting fluoride in the drinking water, something the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Vallone told the Daily News, "This amounts to forced medication by the government. What's next? They decide we're depressed and add Prozac to our drinking water?" That depends, is it good for our teeth? more ›

The AP reports, "New York City officials have detected elevated lead levels in the water. They are telling New Yorkers to run their taps for 30 seconds before drinking water, cooking with it or using it to make baby formula. The Department of Environmental Protection monitors water inside homes that have lead plumbing and fixtures, typically found in buildings more than 40 years old." The EPA requires local utilities to take action if 10% or more tested building have lead levels greater than 15 parts per billion, and in NYC, 30 of 222 tested buildings (14%) had higher levels. What does this mean for bagels? more ›

While New York City may have some of the best tap water ever, it may not be kosher. When the water was tested in 2004, it set off an alarm in the Orthodox community because results showed tiny crustaceans known as copepods in it. At the time, Rabbi Abraham Zimmerman said, "We hope the city will do something to purify and filter the water to accommodate a few hundred thousand Orthodox, observant Jews." more ›

Those free water stations are rotating throughout the boroughs—but is the Bronx being left to dehydrate? With ten stations on the move, the borough is only getting one, and only for four days this month. The Daily News reports that in comparison Manhattan will have several stations set up for 24 days this month. more ›

After five kids at Millennium High School were rushed to the hospital yesterday after drinking blue water from the water fountains, officials have tested the water supply and so far have found no signs of contamination. The students said the water inside the downtown school made them feel nauseous around 11:30 a.m., and were transported to New York Downtown Hospital and are expected to make a full recovery. FDNY Deputy Chief John Bley told DNAinfo, “A couple of them vomited, but they were fine when we arrived." more ›

Around 12:30 this afternoon we received reports that five kids fell ill from drinking blue liquid being dispensed from a water fountain at 75 Broad Street in Manhattan. The teenagers were inside of Millennium High School at the time, and have since been transported to NYU Downtown Hospital. We were sent some photos from the scene, and will update when we receive more information. more ›

This year the Open Space Alliance (OSA) has taken over production aspects of the Pool Parties in Williamsburg, making a number of changes and giving the summer concert venue at East River Police State Park a more corporate makeover. Today the Brooklyn Paper reports on one of those changes: you can't bring in your own water. more ›

A new city initiative is hoping to save as much of our delicious, award-winning tap water was possible. Rolled out in some Bronx neighborhoods on Monday, the Automated Meter Readers (AMFs) allows property owners to track their water usage up to four times a day online. Bloomberg said at a press conference, “An average single family pays more than $800 for water each year, so if this system leads to relatively modest reductions in water used by, let’s say, 5 percent of homeowners, there will be significant savings for them, and we all know that nobody likes water rates." more ›

Not content to get his water from a fountain like the rest of us (but still wanting to get it for free), one man stole bottled water from a 13-year-old on June 30th. The teen had been selling the water on Warren Street between Court and Smith streets in Brooklyn when the thief approached and told him, "Shut up—prepare for me to hit you." The teen suffered a beatdown, and the suspect, described as a black man in his 20s with a shaved head, absconded with the water. Hopefully, water thefts will go down with the introduction of new-fangled water stations around the city. more ›

In downtown Brooklyn yesterday, Michael Bloomberg announced a new program that will bring water stations to public spaces around the city, at least through Labor Day. The Water-On-The-Go program connects stations (which contain six faucets each) to fire hydrants, and allows people to fill their water bottles or their dog's portable water bowls. There will be 10 stations, rotating through locations like Brooklyn Bridge Park and Times Square, and each will have volunteers watching over them (you know, to make sure no one spikes the H2O with LSD). Here's a full schedule that'll keep you hydrated all summer long—don't forget, NYC has some of the best tasting tap water in the nation! more ›

In 2008, the New York State Department of Health announced that NYC won the coveted title for best-tasting drinking water in New York, which vindicated our tap when we came in 2nd earlier that year during an unscientific blind taste testing. But while many of us don't even feel the need to filter our water through a Brita, we don't actually have The Best tasting water according to some people. No, that title has just been handed to Stevens Point, Wisconsin (pop. 25,000). more ›

Suffolk County police say that a Brooklyn man drowned off East Moriches, Long Island and another is missing. According to The Southampton Press, "Deng Zheng, 26, and his friend, Xiangyong Chen, 31, also of Brooklyn, were swimming approximately 50 yards from shore in an unsupervised area of Cupsogue Beach when a large wave apparently swamped them... The men started to swim to shore, but were not seen after the wave broke." Their two friends got the attention of lifeguards, who were on a workout run. The lifeguards found Zheng and performed CPR, but he was pronouced dead at a hospital. Chen was not found. The National Weather Service had warned about rip tide currents and for swimmers to avoid unsupervised beaches. more ›

Students who were hospitalized yesterday after drinking water contaminated with propylene glycol said they had noticed the water was pink before they drank it, but continued drinking because the water tasted sweet. The water supply at PS 20 in Flushing was contaminated with the nontoxic anti-freeze when a worker from Bayside Refrigeration accidentally got some of the chemical into the drinking water supply. more ›

The Department of Environmental Protection announced today that they've completed work on boring and instillation of 8.5 miles of concrete liner in a new tunnel that will bring drinking water (that ideally isn't filled with aresenic) to the surface. Just in time for Drinking Water Week! The $6 billion project should be done with the Manhattan portion by 2013, but you may not have even known it was happening. more ›

Recently NYMag had a lab analyze samples of tap water from 14 locations around the city. While the water checked out (and has passed taste tests in the past), they made a list of some extra goodies that were found in it, including sodium, nitrates, trihalomethanes, iron and manganese, arsenic (!) and calcium carbonate. While the Riverkeeper folks say we can drink our city's tap water with confidence, that whole arsenic thing may have some considering the world of water filtration (the site confirms that "severe weather, the odd rusting pipe, and other conditions" may further contaminate the system). So, do you take your chances, or do you filter your tap? more ›

Turns out the water in Prospect Park Lake—that many thought was contaminated following a few bird deaths—is totally fine! The Department of Environmental Protection ran a test and everything checked out... so why are all these birds dying? more ›

The state has reportedly withdrawn its control of Brooklyn Bridge Park and given the cash-strapped project to the city. After a year of internal squabbles that delayed the planned opening of a portion of the parkland, Gov. Paterson is expected to hand off the unfinished $350 million, 85-acre waterfront project—meaning it will become the city's responsibility to finish and fund. more ›

[UPDATE]: Dolphins are everywhere! The day before a dolphin was photographed in the putrid Newtown Creek, a fireboat captain says he saw two dolphins swimming in the East River. Captain Bill Hannan told the Daily News he spotted the animals near the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Urban Assembly New York Harbor School educator Roy Arezzo and a colleague were "just amazed" when they saw a 7-foot dolphin in Newtown Creek. "We just stood there in awe—shouting, telling it to go back the other way. ... This is a once-in-a-lifetime sighting." more ›

Earlier this week it was reported that Lenox Hill Hospital surgeon Mitchell Roslin was booted off a Spirit Airlines flight (along with his family) after demanding water for his pregnant wife during a delay on the tarmac. He told the NY Post that they denied his request, saying it was against corporate policy. He declared: "I refuse to accept that people can't have a moral compass to give out water." more ›