Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Photo by Julia Weeks / Daily Staff Eddie Ramirez from Helix Electric Inc. cleans the walkway in front of Spartan Complex with water from a nearby fire hydrant Tuesday afternoon. [Click to enlarge]

"It tastes like saliva," one senior television, radio, film and theatre major said.

"I heard it can cause cancer," said a sophomore majoring in social work.

"It's really dirty," said another student.

"It's not (clean)," said junior Neil Robles.

"It is absolutely safe to drink," said Chandra Gowda, the campus's hazardous materials specialist. "It's not bottled water, but that water's from a totally different source."

Robles interned for the San Jose Water Company two summers ago.

"It's clean to the level of public health standards," he said, "but if you have seen where it comes from, I would not recommend (drinking) it."

The water supplied on campus, however, does not come from the water company -- it is dispensed from a 600-foot-deep well located near the swimming pool and Building BB, said Kym Bersuch, the campus plumbing supervisor.

"The water is treated with chlorine," Bersuch said, "but we treat it because we have to, not because there's something wrong with it."

If the internal plumbing on campus fails, there are three connections to the San Jose Water Company which open automatically, Bersuch said.

"On occasion it happens," Bersuch said. "The variable drive motor stopped (about four months ago), we were on city water for a week or two."

Bersuch said that wells typically last 50 to 60 years. The well on campus is 10 to 12 years old.

Gowda handles most of the complaints related to water on campus.

"There have only been a few complaints that have come to me," Gowda said. "Probably two in the past two years."

Gowda said after he issued the annual water quality report this year, one person wrote him a lengthy e-mail complaining about the water having a salty taste.

"The water is regularly analyzed at 16 different locations around campus and submitted to the department of health services," Gowda said.

Students that are skeptical about the water's cleanliness on campus often find alternatives to quench their thirst.

"Sometimes (the water on campus) tastes metally," said junior Cheyanne Cortez, who had just purchased a bottle of water from the Spartan Bookstore. "Doesn't everyone need a water softener? Why is the water hard?"

Water that contains dissolved salts and minerals is hard water, said chemistry professor Karen Singmaster.

"San Jose has very hard water," she said.

Chemistry professor Maureen Scharberg said that hard water dampens the effectiveness of soaps.

"People don't want hard water because you have to use more soap," Scharberg said. "Hard water ions take (the ability of soap to bubble) out of the solution."

However, on campus where the majority of water isn't used for cleansing, hard water is fine, he said.

Hard water also leaves a chalky residue after it dries, often seen on shower doors and on campus inside unused fountains, Singmaster said.

"The white buildup is calcium carbonate, the same material that makes up stalagmites and stalactites," she said. "Drinking hard water from the fountains is the same as eating Tums. It's actually good for you."

For some students, hard or soft water is not an issue -- all they know is that it doesn't look pure.

"It's not clear, but I drink it anyway," said junior Lawrence Poon, a television, radio, film and theatre major. "I don't care -- I'm thirsty."

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