I think this explains everything about Providence and Portland

[Suu]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831942/

Providence, Rhode Island, and Portland, Oregon, are two cities that by all accounts have well-run water utilities and health departments. Both have also had recurring problems with lead in tap water, yet both—according to some critics—have downplayed the potential importance of lead in tap water as a route of exposure. The experiences of these cities and others across the United States illustrate the difficulty not only of determining the causes behind specific cases of lead poisoning but also of ensuring that lead sources are eliminated.

Even though Providence is always topping lists of best tap water, it appears that we may have a lead problem.  I always knew it tasted a little sweet when I was living in the Edwardian in Elmwood. Old ass pipes in this city.