Harvard departments and students also purchase bottled water and coolers. John Mangini, a sales manager for Poland Spring Water says Harvard purchases a large percentage of the water his company sells in Cambridge.

"Poland Springs does an awful lot of business with Harvard University," Mangini says.

Although Mangini says he recommends Poland Springs, he says there is no problem with Cambridge water.

"The [Cambridge] water meets requirements--it's within safe limits--it's just not as good," Mangini says.

Many restaurants in Harvard Square, overwhelmed by customer complaints, have elected to offer alternative water options including filtration systems and bottled water.

Charlie Christopher, owner of Christopher's Restaurant, says of Cambridge water, "I wouldn't put it to my lips."

Christopher has opted to install a ten-stage filtration system to purify the water for the patrons of his Porter Square eatery. He describes the matter collected in the filter as "what you would expect to see at the bottom of a pier--fuzzy, mangy."

He says the restaurant received warnings last summer with its water bills noting high chemical levels.

According to the EPA, these warnings are commonly sent out whenever city water exceeds standard levels.

The manager of Pizzeria Uno says the restaurant began purchasing bottled water after receiving many complaints about the tap water.

"We always try to offer Poland Springs over Cambridge water," she says.

Jessica Thomas, a waitress at Grendel's Den, says the restaurant receives many customer complaints.

"They say it tastes tiny or musky and mention an odor," Thomas says.

"Municipal water is a bad idea," Christopher says. "You have no idea what you're drinking. They can add hundreds of chemicals legally to balance the water. Who knows what happens when they mix."

A Murky Past