Disappointed native San Franciscan here, hoping to find solace in other locals who are also experiencing the same challenge that I am now facing.

Last week, around Thursday, we noticed a significant flavor change in our water. More chlorine-y.

That day, I started having the acidic heartburn feeling for the first time in a while. The feeling has continued since then, and I’ve been taking a Tums at least once a day to combat it. No change in diet. Main change is the water (and I basically only drink straight tap water).

I got curious. I bought some 16-in-one freshwater quality test strips. I had a glass bottle of water from a couple of weeks ago, and I also had fresh tap water. I tested the “old” water and compared to the “new” water a couple of times each.

To my surprise, there were two distinct differences in the readings:

1. The pH of the old water was 6.5, while the pH of the new water was 6.0. More acidic.

2. The alkalinity of the old water was 40ppm, while the alkalinity of the new water was 0ppm. Less control of pH.

Both of these are outside the EPA’s recommended ranges for drinking water.

I’ve been drinking tap water here for my entire life, and losing rights to drink the water that the other half of my city is drinking (and paying the same amount for) makes me very, very disappointed.

Any suggestions for how to fix this / who to track down?

Are others willing to experiment and validate with some citizen science, then band together with me to push for change?

Hope so.

Thanks for reading.