Bottled water vs. tap water. The choice may not seem as important as hybrid vs. SUV or even incandescent vs. CFL, but there are few decisions we face as frequently as the choice in drinking water. Each day, throughout the day, we have many options: the water fountain, filtered tap, bottled water, sparkling…and more!
The latest wave of attention focused on the plastic of the water bottle, specifically Bisphenol-A 
(BPA). This chemical has been linked to serious health risks like breast cancer. While health organizations are split on whether it poses a real threat, companies like Nalgene have already responded by removing BPA from its products.
However, let’s ignore the plastic and focus on the water.
Is the water within the bottle different from what we get from the tap? Yes.
Water, water everywhere, but only 1% to drink.
Water is an essential nutrient for healthy living. Our bodies are 60% water and need constant replenishment to perform vital bodily processes. Humans can live for weeks without food, but only days without water. Unfortunately, water is an increasingly scarce resource.
Even though 79% of the earth’s surface is water, only 3% of it is fresh water. Of that three percent, 2/3 is held in ice and undrinkable. In other words, only one percent of the water on the planet is fresh water and accessible. This small amount of water is increasingly threatened by desertification, overuse, and pollution.
Bottled water is another threat.
Companies that produce bottled water do so by privatizing the water source. Privatization is the process of changing a government owned system, such as public water, into one that is private with a for-profit agenda. Buying the public’s water source and bottling it exacerbates water scarcity. Another problem is that public water is repackaged and sold to those who can afford and access it.
The Tap Choice
Compared to bottled water, tap water is much less expensive, just as safe and more accessible.
Accessibility: Tap water runs in every building and water fountains are common in most public areas. If you’re going somewhere without water pipes, reusable water bottles can be filled beforehand.
Safety: Tap water is just as safe as bottled.
Cost: Bottled water is 500x more expensive than tap. Consider Dasani and Aquafina, two popular bottled waters, which are actually filled with reprocessed tap water. Makes you wonder what you’re paying for.
Taste: It’s objective, but multiple blind taste tests have shown that people cannot tell the difference between the two. Some believe using a filter, like Brita or Pur, helps with taste as well.
Status: Companies have worked very hard to create specific brands around their product, making a food product into an accessory. But that trend is reversing as more people buy and use reusable water bottles.
As consumers, we vote for our interests each time we use our dollars. Be a smart water drinker and vote for tap!
For more information, check out the following sources:
Environmental Working Group: a non-profit public information organization with extensive research on BPA
Blue Gold: a book and movie following the world’s water wars
Planet Green: take the water IQ quiz and learn more about water conservation
Image courtesy of cap.nsw.edu.au
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Discussion Take a look at what is being said about this article.
Jameson, on May 27th, 2009 says:
How about filtered water? We buy large containers of water from a local water store, that uses their own machines to purify local water. Much better (and healthier) than Phoenix, AZ tap water, in my opinion.
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Jane Lazgin, on June 1st, 2009 says:
Drinking more water, whether from the tap or from a bottle, is a smart and healthful choice. However, bottled and tap are not the same. And without a doubt, my company, Nestlé Waters North America, does not privatize public water supplies.
Quality: At Nestlé Waters, our spring waters come from groundwater sources more isolated from contamination than most municipal water sources. When we bottle from public sources (for Nestlé Pure Life), we apply additional specialized filtration most public systems cannot afford.
Whether sourced from springs or from municipal water, our 10-step water purification process ensures that our final products are of the highest quality before the water is bottled in hygienically-sealed containers. These extra steps are part of why bottled and tap water are priced differently.
Single-serve bottles, by the way, do not contain BPA. You can learn more about plastic safety here: (http://www.nestlewatersissues.com/index.php?p=16)
Privatization: Nestlé Waters does not privatize public water supplies. When we harvest water for our bottled water products, we either purchase water from public suppliers as a customer, or own or lease land and its associated water rights. The reality is, Nestlé Waters is a small user of water, and represents 0.004% of total fresh water withdrawals world-wide.
We believe in managing our operations responsibly and with the environment in mind. Please take a look at our Corporate Citizenship report to learn more: http://www.nestle-watersna.com/Menu/Corporate-Citizenship/Managing-Water-Resources-For-Long-term-Sustainability.htm
Sincerely,
Jane Lazgin
Director, Corporate Communications
Nestlé Waters North America
Food & Water Watch, on June 9th, 2009 says:
Great article – thanks for posting this!
Tap water is indeed just as good as bottled water, and in fact the EPA requires tap water systems serving more than one million residents to be tested at least 300 times per month.
Bottled water companies like Nestlé are only required to test it once a week. (www.epa.gov/safewater)
Get more of the facts at our website, and join our campaign to TAKE BACK THE TAP!
Domenic Lattari, on June 11th, 2009 says:
Clearly, neither the author, nor some of the respondents to this article, have ever seen the result of filtering the gunk out of the public water supply.
Laurie, on June 12th, 2009 says:
Hey Domenic, thanks for your input. Can you enlighten our readers? What’s it like?
Todd Patrick, on June 18th, 2009 says:
My family has stopped using bottled water. In addition to health and environmental concerns, we were surprised at how much we were spending on bottled water! We use stainless steel water bottles now. We feel pretty positive about this change in our lives. If you’d like to do the same, you can get a Pura bottle at 20% off. The company asked me to pilot a referral program. I don’t think they’d mind if you used the code they gave me, 4RNKO9, to get a discount on purchases made on http://www.purastainless.com.
Domenic Lattari, on July 22nd, 2009 says:
Laurie, thanks for your question. Without posting an image, I can only best describe the sediment and gunk visible on the outside of any filter I have ever used as filthy. I have never opened a filter to check its contents.
You can argue whether the myriad filtrated materials are damaging to your health, but you cannot argue that you are most certainly ingesting them by drinking unfiltered tap water.
To ridicule those that choose not to is insulting, albeit trendy.
Frankly, I am surprised I was required to offer this fairly obvious conclusion.
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