14 November 2005 Press Release Jhb tap water the best Johannesburg Water, the City's water and sanitation service provider wishes to advise residents of the City not to be tricked into buying water filtration devices without careful consideration. This comes after JW received several calls from concerned residents who have been given a notice stating that "tap water could be bad for your family's health ", and that they should call for a free water test. A sales person from a private water filtration company then arrives and tries to convince the household that the water coming from the tap is not healthy and needs to be filtered. Such devices are completely unnecessary in Johannesburg as tap water in perfectly safe to drink. Some of these traders are promoting sales of home treatment systems and bottled water by demonstrating a colour change in our tap water which then does not occur in their bottled or filtered water. The demonstration unit comprises two clear bottles one containing tap water and the other the bottled water. Two electrodes are then placed in each bottle. In each case one electrode is made of iron and the other aluminium. These electrodes are then connected to an electrical power source. As the tap water contains a certain amount of dissolved salts it is able to conduct and electrical current when the power is turned on. This causes one of the two electrodes to dissolve in the water resulting in a colour change and the formation of visible particles containing the iron dissolved from the iron electrode. As the bottled or filtered water they use in this experiment contains very low concentrations of dissolved salts, it cannot conduct the current, therefore no colour or particles are formed. It should be pointed out that the well-known scientific phenomenon of electrolysis causes these particles and colour to come from the iron electrode and not the water. The quality of Johannesburg's tap water has been rated as amongst the best in the world. To ensure that this status is maintained, Johannesburg Water routinely samples over 500 drinking water samples per month. Tap water samples are taken from the bulk supply to reservoirs and across the City including samples from informal settlements and camps. The samples are taken to JW's Cydna Laboratory, a SANAS accredited laboratory where 41 determinants are tested and analyzed. Through this rigorous testing and monitoring process JW is able to respond quickly to any water quality problems and ensure that the quality of every drop of the more than 1billion litres of water that passes through is 9 800 km long water network per day is well within the SABS Standard for Class One Drinking Water. Tap water in Johannesburg is safe, healthy and affordable. Do not be conned into the unnecessary expense of buying filter devices or bottled water. Issued on behalf of Gerald T Dumas Managing Director Johannesburg Water (Pty) Limited By: Jameel Chand Senior Manager: Marketing and Communication 688 1545 082 452 0694