" wrote:
On Jul 29, 11:12?am, "Pete C." wrote:
" wrote:
It has been known for years that much of the water sold as bottled
water is tap water. I have told people that, and have had them
insisit that it wasn't true, even when I showed them articles with
quotes from company representatives.
I'm afraid you don't comprehend the difference between the source of the
water i.e. public water supply, and the end product that is bottled
which is most certainly not the same thing any more than a bottle of
soda which is made with the same base water is. That tap water goes
through three or more stages of filtration generally including reverse
osmosis which produces pure water that is significantly cleaner than
municipal tap water. This filtered water is what is bottled for the
Aquafina and Dasani products and also what is mixed with the various
syrups to make the sodas, it is most certainly *not* tap water.
Pete C.
I spoke somewhat abruptly, but I think my meaning was clear: water
purchased in bottles under brand names is not of a higher objective
quality than that which comes from the tap in most of the US. In
fact, had I taken time to clarify, I might have pointed out that in
some places, tap water is of a higher objective quality.
Please provide a cite to an example of a municipal water supply being of
higher objective quality than the bottled water of the "big guys" i.e.
Aquafina or Dasani.
While there is a filtering process for bottled water, the standards in
many municipalities (Chicago among them) are higher for tap water than
for bottled water.
Standards set minimums, product quality can readily exceed those
minimums.
In other words, in such places the tap water goes
through more processsing than the bottled water.
No, tap water goes through specified processing, bottled water may or
may not go through various processing.
For example:
A "spring water" may undergo little or no processing, but it must be
tested to insure it meets the standards for bottled water.
A "purified water" may start as municipal water, having already
undergone processing to meet municipal water standards, before being
further filtered and sanitized at the bottling plant to meet the
standards for water used for the production of soft drinks and
significantly exceeding the standards for bottled water.
Testing done on
bottled water versus tap water has shown, in many areas, that the tap
water actually has lower bacteria count.
This will almost certainly be a test performed on a "spring water" or
other minimally processed water, not a "purified water" which is a very
different product.
This was, in fact, the topic
of the Roe Conn Radio Show in Chicago (www.wlsam.com) just a few days
ago, when the bottlers were announcing the new labeling. In Chicago,
the reason appears to be that the city of Chicago has set standards
for tap water, while standards for bottled water are standardized
nationally.
Again standards set a minimum quality and products regularly exceed
those minimums.
A couple points to note: Chicago water is among the most sophisticated
in terms of municipal water treatment in the world. Other cities have
sent people to Chicago to learn from them. Also, the level of purity
of almost any water supply in the United States is extremely high.
You'd have to search hard to find a non-potable water supply in the
US.
Technically correct, however there is a very large difference between a
water meeting the standard for potable water which is rather low and a
clean, pure water. Potable water won't make you sick, but can still be
rather disgusting to drink, while clean, pure water will actually be
pleasant to drink.
I am far from someone who is chasing dwon ways to abide by a "green"
agenda. My motives for keeping abreast of the topic, aside from
professional, have more to do with personal finance. The cost of a
bottle of water seems to typically hover around $1-$2 per pint for
water. At the low end of this, water costs $8 per gallon. Water from
the tap costs several orders of magnitude less, and there is little
discernible difference between the two products. The more expensive
may edge out the less expensive option in quality in some cases, but
in other cases it is itself edged out.
If your tap water tastes sufficiently good to you, by all means drink
it. Do not however assume that because your tap water tastes good and
all municipal water in the US is potable, that other people's tap water
tastes equally good.
I've traveled around the US a bit and I've found places with tap water
that I considered quite acceptable and places where I wouldn't use the
tap water for any consumption (drinking or cooking) and was leery of
using it for brushing my teeth. Most places I've been fell somewhere in
between.
For those in between places, if I was going to live there, my drinking
and cooking water would come from my own reverse osmosis filter (and did
in one place I lived). Where I live now I have well based water from a
coop that is quite good quality, both subjective and objective (though a
bit high ph) so I don't filter it further for cooking purposes. For
drinking purposes it gets filtered by a basic filter in the
refrigerator. I purchase a limited amount of bottled water for my
emergency supply.
With all of the above being said, those who live in hard water areas
may well opt for bottled water of the kind from a water cooler.
Inthat case, the cost of the water is closer to $1.25 per gallon.
Hard water isn't generally the issue. I've lived where I had well water
that was quite hard, but was perfectly palatable. The problems generally
are taste and smell issues, or people who do not wish to consume the
chlorine and other chemicals that are in municipal tap water and are not
present in nearly all bottled water.
Pete C.