TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin French side tap water

Whoops! I forgot about this when we were there last week! We didn’t drink or cook with tap water (I never do when I’m not at home), but we did brush our teeth with it.

We brushed our teeth with the tap water as well. No issues for us.

Thanks for the update on this. In all honesty there's only one place on earth that I had an issue with the tap water and that was Mexico. Montezuma's Revenge came to visit me for about 36 hours or so once. Last time in Mexico I took probiotics for one month prior to our vacation and for two weeks after we returned. For those who may be sensitive to tap water conditions that may be something worth trying on French St. Martin, or you can just drink bottled water instead. Been to SXM many, many times in the past and never had an issue with any water I consumed from any source.

Has to be difficult for a french side restaurant to use tons of bottled water.

Currently in Bangkok. The water is supposedly safe at the plant but non potable for brushing teeth or drinking. No change in 25 years for visitors to a city of 8 Million.

St. Barts also is dealing with this problem. According to local people we know there, you would have to drink copious amounts of water to get cancer from Bromate, but I am all in favor of precautions.

"Has to be difficult for a french side restaurant to use tons of bottled water."
If they actually are. Who knows what really goes on in the kitchen.

Maybe the water problem wasn't from a hurricane but from all the road digging that's being done?

As I understand it, the problem is in the PIPES, which I think is caused from pure age.

Nothing to do with the pipes. It’s ozone used to disinfect the water reacting with naturally occurring bromide in sea water.

So to get cooking or drinking water (free for now) you have to go to Galisbay? What are restaurants doing!?!?! How are they making ice for drinks?

"What are restaurants doing!?!?! How are they making ice for drinks?"
I don't think you want that answer.

OK, I thought that's what I read.. May be wrong.

And then there's this.. Daily Herald story Only in St. Martin, that a government entity would continue to bill you for a service they are not providing....

Yes. Government at its finest.

People are being billed for water which they use. They can't drink it, but they're still bathing, doing laundry, flushing, etc.

Don't know how it works in St. Martin, but most places have a minimum charge, regardless of how much you use. Regardless, paying for water should be POTABLE water..

Correct to some degree. I have a hunting cabin on 5 acres with a potable well for everything except irrigation which I pay for separately and is not potable water.