Calluna

There’s been talk this week about the safety and quality of bottled water after a study tested 10 of the top U.S. brands and found varying levels of bacteria, Tylenol, fertilizer and plastic-making chemicals, to name a few, in bottled water. All 10 had bad stuff in their water, yet all 10 met the federal limits for drinking water. So the study’s main point is that bottled water is no better than water from the tap.

This should be no surprise, if you ask me. Did we really think city water is that bad or that water companies have a magic process for making perfectly pristine water? While working the city beat for an Indiana newspaper, I reported on the city’s annual water report, and one year did a pretty in-depth analysis of what is in the water, how it gets there, what the city does to take it out, what the city puts in, etc. I very much appreciated learning about the process and it changed my perspective a little on water, to know what it takes for a city to get water as clean as possible, know that tap water is not pollutant-free and know that what cities have to take out of tap water is caused by natural processes and by the very people who complain about dirty water. In case you didn’t know, the city’s goal is not to make clean water. The city’s goal is to make the cleanest water possible and to achieve the least amount of a chemical or toxin as possible and come in below levels the EPA deems “safe.”

Since then, I’ve kinda figured the bottled water companies are most likely following the same processes as our cities: settling tanks, neutralizing chemicals, using less dangerous chemicals to remove more dangerous ones. The city water director told me in 2002:

“It’s a juggling act to keep the water bacteria-free and at the same time enough (bacteria) to take care of the bad chemicals in the water and clear them out.”

So the study’s “revelation” that bottled water is no better than tap water is no real surprise to me. Besides, I think most people don’t drink bottled water because it’s better but because it’s convenient and “socially accepted.”