Tech From Here: NL · Sources

Can you drink the tap water?

Tech From Here: NL, beyond Dutch Design Week

The work this post covers and every source it draws on, each linked to the original.

Research cited

  1. Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport, "Drinkwaterkwaliteit 2024", November 4, 2025, published as an annex on officielebekendmakingen.nl zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl

Other sources

  1. RIVM, "Drinkwater", Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu, modified March 26, 2026 rivm.nl
  2. Rijksoverheid, "Kwaliteit drinkwater beschermen", undated rijksoverheid.nl
  3. US EPA, "Overview of the Safe Drinking Water Act", undated epa.gov
  4. US EPA, "Primacy Enforcement Responsibility for Public Water Systems", undated epa.gov
  5. CDC, "Boil Water Advisory" (public service announcement toolkit), undated cdc.gov
  6. Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport, "Drinkwater", undated ilent.nl
  7. US EPA, "Private Drinking Water Wells", undated epa.gov
  8. US EPA, "Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)", undated epa.gov
  9. Rijksoverheid, "Hoe is de kwaliteit van het drinkwater in Nederland?", undated rijksoverheid.nl
  10. Waternet, "Geschiedenis van ons drinkwater", undated waternet.nl
  11. Rijksmuseum, "Installatie voor de duinwaterleiding in Leiduin", RP-F-F12060, 1857 to 1865, public domain rijksmuseum.nl
  12. Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, "Safe Drinking Water Branch", undated health.hawaii.gov

Images, slide by slide

Slide 1
A steel electric kettle, a black thermos, a honey jar and a blue glass on a dark bar counterPhoto: RN Collins
Slide 2
A hand with a bracelet holds an open steel electric kettle against a cream wallPhoto: RN Collins
Slide 3
An old sepia photograph of a low pumping-station building with a tall chimney and a lattice mast beside a still reservoirSource: Rijksmuseum, AmsterdamMuseum or journal record
Slide 4
Diagram in two columnsImage: RN Collins studio, code-drawn. Checked against RIVM, Drinkwater, (modified 26 Mar 2026); Rijksoverheid, Kwaliteit drinkwater beschermen, ; ILT, Drinkwater, ; US EPA, Overview of the Safe Drinking Water Act, ; US EPA, Primacy Enforcement Responsibility for Public Water Systems, ; US EPA, Private Drinking Water Wells, ; US EPA, Safe Drinking Water Act, ("more than 90 contaminants")Museum or journal record
Slide 5
Drinking glasses, a champagne flute and a wooden box of tea bags on a black bar counter, kettles and a honey jar behindPhoto: RN Collins
Ring frame
Brass tap ending in a lion's head, c. 1700 to c. 1725, Rijksmuseum (BK-NM-5858)Frame: Rijksmuseum, PD, cropped

Follow RN Collins