Occasionally, if water has too much calcium or magnesium the substance will taste bad. Some surface waters can develop earthy or musty tastes from algae and bacteria in the water, but Terry emphasizes those different flavors are not a sign of spoiled water.

According to Monica Hoyt, a member of the Intermountain Section of the American Water Works Association small systems committee, the emphasis toward better-tasting tap water in the industry has been spurred by bottled water.

"Taste is all aesthetic," said Hoyt, a chemist who also works as a lab director for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District. "A lot of people think bottled water is better because it tastes better. As an industry, we're starting to take taste more seriously, in addition to health. We're beginning to see that we need to make our water taste the best it can."

On the other hand, Hoyt and Terry agree that their customers generally take for granted their clean water and the hundreds of hours it takes to make it taste good.

"Everywhere in the United States you can get a safe drink of water, which is an incredible thing when you look at the geographic variety we have in the nation," Hoyt said. "We don't have to worry about (water) safety, so we can worry about aesthetics. In a Third World country, they're worrying about whether the water can kill them. It doesn't matter if (the water) is earthy or musty, they're just glad they can drink it."

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E-mail: achoate@desnews.com