Unfortunately, the water in the bathroom also had a noticeably high lead level. We advised the family not to drink or use their tap water for cooking for the time being. With immediate effect, they wanted to fill up a water canister at friends' houses. Buying bottled water was too expensive for them and harmful to the environment.

Of course, the neighbours also needed to know about this. The family rang all the doors over the next few days and informed their neighbours about their water test.
If there is an elevated lead level in the tap water, only one measure will help: Replace the leaded pipes and connectors. In an apartment building, the owner is obliged to do this. The family and their neighbour were lucky. Their property management immediately took care of the renovation and also found tradesmen. After almost two months, clean water finally bubbled out of the tap.
 
If you missed our water test raffle, you can of course still test your tap water. If a small child under 12 months or a pregnant woman lives in the household, Berliner Wasserbetriebe (Berlin Water Company or BWB) will test a tap for lead free of charge. For this purpose, a copy of the mother's passport or birth certificate should be enclosed with the order for the lead analysis. Click here for the application (in German). All others can, of course, also commission a lead analysis. There are many laboratories that offer this. Make sure it is an accredited laboratory. This means that the laboratory tests according to official standards.
If you want to order a water analysis, we advise you to test for the most common heavy metals. These are iron, copper, aluminium, lead, chromium, nickel and zinc.
 
Do you have any questions? Then get in touch with us at wasserkiez@atiptap.org.
 

"Do you want a glass of water?", this question can make you very happy on a hot summer day.
In the last few weeks, we have asked a lot of people this question and served almost as many glasses of tap water.
We were out and about in the neighbourhood with our water bike and set up our water station at various locations. Maybe you've already seen us at the Carnival for the Future, 48h Neukölln or in the neighbourhood garden in front of the QM office?
 
The great thing about our water station: People can quench their thirst without unnecessary bottled waste and CO2 emissions. And we were able to answer a lot of questions about that.
"Is Berlin's tap water really as good a quality as they say?" (Yes, more on this at bwb.de (in German))
"Do I need a water filter?" (No. Why not is explained in our Besserwasser (better water) video (with Turkish and English subtitles))
"My grandma lets the water run first thing in the morning before she drinks it. Is that necessary?" (We advise letting the water run until it is cold from the tap. Then it is fresh water from the waterworks and not the stale water from the building’s pipes).
 
Are you planning a campaign or event and want to serve tap water? We will be happy to advise you on the how to implement this. Just write us an email.