Tap VS. Bottled Water (healthier, cheap, water bottles, best)

[Chinolala]

Originally Posted by tcs1366

I have a water distiller. I can NOT drink our tap water, and even hate cooking with it.

if i'm making pasta or rice, i will use distiller or filtered [the Brita type]
just the smell of the chlorine makes me think i DO NOT want to cook with it.

I live less than 1 mile west of the Chicago border and only use tap water. I don't smell chlorine at all. I must be used to it. I love Chicago's tap water.

[alterego]

I have a reverse osmosis system at home and I love it. It's like having my own infinite source of bottled water at home. If you've ever read the labels on some bottles of water, that is all it really is....tap water that has been run through a reverse osmosis system.

[Roaddog]

I just use a filter on my faucet, tastes as good as bottled water to me.

[Briolat21]

Tap water. Only time I buy bottled water is if I'm on the road and don't want a pop.
Yes, much bottled water is just tap water that an enterprising company has run through a reverse osmosis filter. If you think there's really a fancy spring somewhere in the mountains where your bottled water is coming from, you're probably just buying into the marketing hype.

Oh, and all water on the planet is recycled. Most municipalities get their water from an upstream area (lake, river, pond, etc..) and then treat their sewage and have tanks/leach fields where eventually someday (after it filters out of the earth/limestone/whatever) it will go back into the water of the area (river/lake/stream).

That's exactly where most of the bottlers are getting their water too (i.e. great lakes). So don't think you're spring water is pristine, unless you actually know the spring (like the writer from the mountains of colorado).

[New_Horizon]

We have well water here which is great to drink, this area (Harbor Springs, Mi) has artesian springs which feed the water fountains in town giving us great tasting chilled water all year round.

[~NeonFire~]

I also prefer the taste of bottled water. I use the tap water for things like brushing my teeth, preparing meals, washing, etc. but for drinking, I always take my 4 litre bottles to the department store and refill them.

[collected_eve]

Originally Posted by alterego

If you've ever read the labels on some bottles of water, that is all it really is....tap water that has been run through a reverse osmosis system.

Which to me is still better than the tap here. High levels of arsenic? Wouldn't you be scared to drink that, too?!
If I could afford to use bottled water (whether from a fresh spring or tap through reverse osmosis) for ALL of my water needs then I would!! But....

[alterego]

Originally Posted by collected_eve

Which to me is still better than the tap here. High levels of arsenic? Wouldn't you be scared to drink that, too?!
If I could afford to use bottled water (whether from a fresh spring or tap through reverse osmosis) for ALL of my water needs then I would!! But....

I thought all tap water in the U.S. is supposed to be safe for drinking. I had not heard about the arsenic thing, and so I looked it up. The EPA website says that there is a set arsenic standard for drinking water, and all public/community water systems much comply with this standard. Therefore, I think tap water is pretty safe to drink although it may not always be the most pleasantly tasting.

However, water from private wells are not subject to this standard, and it is up to the well owner to have the water tested for arsenic.

[compelled to reply]

My tap water is very good and by FL standards amazing. I tested it and everything and its better than most bottled water. I just use water through the door on the fridge and drink that. The chlorine levels are pretty low. It tastes as good as most bottled to me.

[recycled]

Here is a website where you can look up the tap water quality for the water company in your area in 45 out of 50 states:
EWG Investigation | U.S. Tap Water Quality Database

Tap water quality in cities and towns across the USA varies quite a bit. Some cities like San Francisco and NYC get water from pristine watersheds far removed from the urban area, and their tap water is very good (as long as local distribution pipes are properly maintained). Other places are not as good.

I don't like the idea of buying bottled water. All those billions of plastic bottles use up imported oil to produce, and I would bet that a large percentage end up in the garbage or litter, or floating around in the ocean. If your local tap water is not up to par with your preference, try a good quality under the sink dual filter system. Those tiny little faucet filters or pitcher filters don't do that great of a job - get something better that costs much less over the long haul. The under sink filters are easy to install, I did mine in about 10 minutes. Here's an example of what I used, this is not a sales pitch:

Water Filters - PureEarth