Many people believe the best way to improve their drinking water is to buy bottled water, but this may not always be the case. On average, each American drinks 24 gallons of bottled water a year. This year, Americans will spend $9.8 billion on bottled water, 250 to 10,000 times the cost of tap water, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation. There are better and far less costly ways to improve drinking water.
Instructions
1. Understand that most bottled water is not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Almost all tap water is regulated by the EPA. In addition, most bottled water is not regulated by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). Sixty percent of bottled water is sold only in the state where it is bottled and is not subject to FDA regulation. Only about 40 percent of bottled water is sold in states other than where it is bottled, and these brands are under FDA regulation.
2. Improve tap water by adding a filtration system to your water system. Filtering eliminates undesirable solids, dissolved metals and chloramines. Most bottled water is merely local tap water that goes through a filtration process. Sometimes, producers of bottled water also add minerals to their product, but this is not necessarily a good thing. In addition, many municipal water districts add fluoride to the water, which bottled water does not contain. Fluoride has been proven to help prevent tooth decay, especially in children. See the Resource Section for reviews of water filters.
3. Consider carrying a stainless steel water bottle filled with filtered tap water instead of bottled water. Many people choose bottled water because of the convenience of having water with them at all times. However, most plastic water bottles are not recycled (about 88 percent, according to environmental organizations). There is a tremendous cost to producing the plastic water bottles, as well. Further, bottle producers recommend not refilling the bottles due to the leaching of the chemicals from the bottles into water over time. Stainless steel containers are just as convenient, and, of course, they can be refilled safely.
4. Enhance the taste of filtered tap water by adding flavorings. Fruit juice and other flavorings can add low- or no-calorie taste to your water if you prefer flavorings to your water. Even without extra flavorings, tap water compares favorably to bottled water in blind taste tests. See the Resource Section for sources of flavorings and blind taste test results.
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