[fourfourto]

usually just the cheap costco brand though[/quote]


X2 Then I fill them up with tap water.

We have excellent tap water here,do know where yours comes from?



All the water is withdrawn from porous underground sand and gravel formations known as aquifers. There are three major aquifers found beneath Suffolk County. The deepest aquifer is the Lloyd Aquifer, and it contains water that is up to several thousand years old. We take very little water from this aquifer. The middle aquifer is called the Magothy Aquifer, and it contains water that is up to 1,000 years old in its deepest layers underlying the south shore. The majority of water served to SCWA customers comes from the Magothy Aquifer. The shallowest aquifer is called the Upper Glacial Aquifer. Most of the wells that draw from this aquifer serve individual households.
Where did the aquifers come from?
The aquifers were formed 60-65 million years ago by the movement of large masses of ice that covered portions of the earth. These glaciers carved out and piled up sand and gravel, forming the underground aquifers where the water could collect. The glaciers also formed large layers of underground clay masses that separate the three aquifers.
How does the water get into the aquifers?
All the water in our aquifers comes from precipitation -- rain, melted snow, and even melted ice from the glaciers. When it rains, or when snow melts, it slowly works its way through the sandy soil beneath us and into the aquifers where it collects. The sandy soil helps filter and purify the water as it works its way to our aquifers.
How do we get the water from the aquifers?
The Water Authority has approximately 500 wells located throughout Suffolk County. Our wells are anywhere from 100 to 750 feet deep. These wells have large electrically driven pumps that draw water from the aquifers as it is needed. The water is then delivered to large pipes called water mains that deliver it to our customers. Unlike New York City and many of the water suppliers in the tri-state area, our water does not come from reservoirs such as lakes or other large surface water systems.