but I must say that the fact that so many people now pay for water .... and seem to just accept that fact ..... is a very sad statement about the state of our environment

I agree. Our home city-water is not bad, but the pipes in the 100+ yo
house are not the best. We bring home well water from my place in the
Adirondacks and fresh spring water from my wife's place in Jefferson
Manor. It's tough to make that water last, it tastes too good.