Monday, July 21, 2008

Is Tap Water Really Better than Bottled?

The debate will rage on for years about tap water vs. bottled water. There have been numerous postings by both sides each trying to make their case. So I thought I would spin my bottle on the issue and see where it stops.

Our local governments has tried for years to make their local waters sources “good enough” for us to drink by treating them with various chemicals. It must be understood that the tap water our local governments send to us through pipes, that average 50-100 years old, doesn’t start out as healthy. In fact, it starts out in a very “unhealthy” state. By treating the water with chemicals like chlorine, lime and sodium hexametaphosphate the water is then considered acceptable for drinking by EPA standards. However, the EPA standards, according to the Safe Drinking Water Act, does allow for certain contaminant levels. Side Note: On a whole less than 1% of municipal tap water is actually used for human consumption.

Bottled water companies such as Sparkletts®, Crystal Springs® or Hinckley Springs® couldn’t exist if they provided any level of contamination. All bottled water companies have numerous filtration and ozonation systems in place to ensure their bottled water is pristine. Not to mention bottled water companies also have to adhere to the more stringent guidelines of the FDA.

In the end, I personally do not believe this debate is even close. Bottled water is a lot better than the minimally tested, chlorinated, flocculated, fluoridated municipal tap water that is delivered through miles of aged piping. As for “green” issues, that is a more involved subject for another post. However, I still feel the 5 gallon home and office water delivery industry is the clear winner on quality.