# Tap Water vs Bottled Water - What's the Story? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 5, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016 "2010-06-05T03:48:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/41 "2010-06-05T21:05:19Z")
If you’re looking at bottled water for the health benefits, then there are a lot of factors that determine whether it makes sense. How good/bad is your tap water? What brand of bottled water are you getting. If you think you’re being “green” by drinking bottled water, you’re fooling yourself. The fuel costs for shipping the water, added to the bottle itself, make it anything BUT green. But **groman** called it, as far as I’m concerned. The big advantage of bottled water is that when I’m stopping at a gas station, or wandering around somewhere unfamiliar, bottled water is a known quantity that includes a handy dandy bottle to carry it in. Well worth the buck or so. > [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Wait-when you lose power (electricity?) you _also_ lose your water service? As others have explained, those of us with wells use electricity to pump the water out of the ground. No electricity = no water. But that can be the case in cities, too. It takes power to get the water up to your 53rd-floor apartment. If the building loses power… > [@Turble](#): > > An interesting exercise for those who buy bottled water might be to actually take the time to calculate how much water you can get out of your tap for the $4 you pay for a case of bottled water. $4.00 worth of electricity will pump a _LOT_ of water out of the ground. Once I get my windmill set up, it’ll be basically free. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/42 "2010-06-05T21:29:45Z")
[quote=“BigT, post:19, topic:542016”] I really don’t understand how so many people say they can’t taste the difference. There are some bottled waters that taste like tap, but many that don’t. Aquafina and Sam’s Choice taste remarkably different, with that slight bit of sweetness, to the point where I think that, although Aquafina doesn’t list any additives, there must be the same ones as the Sam’s Choice. [QUOTE] You are aware, aren’t you, that Aquafina (Pepsi brand) is just filtered tap water? So is Dasani (Coke brand). That is what they mean when it says “Public Water Source” on the label. > **[Aquafina labels to spell out source - tap water - CNN.com](http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/27/pepsico.aquafina.reut/)** > > PepsiCo Inc. will spell out that its Aquafina bottled water is made with tap water, a concession to the growing environmental and political opposition to the bottled water industry. According to Corporate Accountability International, a U.S. watchdog... > **[Pepsi admits Aquafina comes from tap water](https://www.naturalnews.com/021962.html)** > > Pepsi admits Aquafina comes from tap water ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/43 "2010-06-05T22:15:16Z")
> [@ghardester](#): > > You are aware, aren’t you, that Aquafina (Pepsi brand) is just filtered tap water? So is Dasani (Coke brand). That is what they mean when it says “Public Water Source” on the label. > > [Aquafina labels to spell out source - tap water - CNN.com](http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/27/pepsico.aquafina.reut/) > > [Pepsi admits Aquafina comes from tap water - NaturalNews.com](http://www.naturalnews.com/021962.html) Dasani adds minerals into their purified water and Aquafina oxygenates theirs. I can definitely taste a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/44 "2010-06-05T22:39:38Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > There are some bottled waters that taste like tap, but many that don’t. I forgot to respond to this one before. The concept, “tastes like tap” is meaningless. Tap water varies massively in taste, not just from region to region, but city to city, and even building to building. Pick a bottled water (plain, that is, not flavored or carbonated), and there’s probably tap water somewhere that tastes just like it. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/45 "2010-06-05T22:55:08Z")
At least with Gatorade you get sugar, food coloring and salt. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/46 "2010-06-05T23:48:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’ve yet to find a filter that makes water as good as buying the distilled water my dad gets from work in gallon jugs. The closest I’ve found is from a neighbor who payed a ton of money to get one. I drank the water, and it was actually sorta sweet, like the good bottled water. I’m surprised that you like distilled water. My understanding is that most people find that it tastes “flat.” There’s a reason why some bottled waters start with highly filtered water to which they add a trace amount of minerals. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/47 "2010-06-06T12:14:13Z")
OK, I don’t get it - why are people making the price comparison between the water in a water bottle and the water available at the tap? The act of bottling adds a great deal of cost, and if what you want is a container with water in it, that act adds a great deal of value. Here: [http://www.fishersci.com/wps/portal/ITEMDETAIL?ru=http://prodwcsserver:9060/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FisherItemDisplay&catalogId=29104&productId=2341445&parentProductId=762801&langId=-1&distype=0&fromCat=](http://www.fishersci.com/wps/portal/ITEMDETAIL?ru=http://prodwcsserver:9060/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FisherItemDisplay&catalogId=29104&productId=2341445&parentProductId=762801&langId=-1&distype=0&fromCat=)[Ljava.lang.String;@14ac8ee&catCode=RE\_SC&brCategoryId=null&highlightProductsItemsFlag=Y&fromSearch=Y&fromProductCatalogPage=Y&crossRefPartNo=null&crossRefData=null is a listing for an 8 ounce plastic bottle with nothing in it. In case quantities this bottle costs over $2.00 apiece. Is it reasonable to say that this is a bottle of air at $0.25 per fluid ounce? Or to say it is a bottle of water whose cost is infinite? Any reasonable consideration of the cost of bottled water ought to consider it as bottled water per se. The water content inside, by itself, isn’t bottled water, and isn’t the only thing you pay for. ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/48 "2010-06-06T12:27:55Z")
I view it as a service, no different to paying for a cup of coffee. The material costs of the coffee are probably what 10 cents more? Otara ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/49 "2010-06-06T14:07:53Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > Slow down, > > Dissolved solids? Well, what are the solids? Is it simply minerals? If so, it’s probably perfectly safe to drink. > > Around my parts ground water will foul most pipes eventually simply because a lot of it comes from aquifers made of limestone. Yeah, that will foul pipes but it certainly doesn’t hurt you to drink. > > It’s delicious calcium carbonate! Calcium Carbonate is one dissolved solid in our water. Aalong with Magnesium Carbonate. I yes to think the same thing. But what is in the water that will attack brass? That is one of the things that worry me. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/50 "2010-06-06T14:10:30Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Absolutely. > > Many grocery stores now have vending machines where you can fill your own bottles with ‘purified’ water. Those are really just connections to the tap water system, run through a filter into your bottle, than then increased the price about 10-fold. The filter is supposed to be changed when needed by a store stockboy. How regularly that happens is anybodys guess. Most of the water despencing machines are owned and serviced by an outside company. They are more than just standard filters, most use reverse ossmosis. In fact most of the non spring water bottled water is RO water. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/51 "2010-06-06T14:17:27Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > I don’t think that San Jose California constitutes almost all of the developed world. No just one major area. And as a minor area there is Salinas. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/52 "2010-06-06T14:23:09Z")
I used to whine and bitch about our town’s terrible water. After four years in places where I must carefully boil or distill my water in order to avoid potentially deadly and certainly unpleasant diseases, I’m looking forward to the freaking miracle of clean safe water delivered to the inside of my home 24/7. I can’t wait for the now-surreal feeling of filling a cup from the tap an drinking it. Trust me when I say if you didn’t have it, you’d miss it! ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/53 "2010-06-06T19:08:52Z")
Pure WAG here. But in some apartments I’ve lived in, the water stank. You know you’ve moved into such an area, because the water company sends quarterly messages, confirming that the latest tests shows their water meets or exceeds all possible regulations for quality – it is not over chlorinated, under chlorinated, or full of particulates, toxins, pesticide runoff, and they will tell you, again and again. I never complained, so I don’t know why they’re so defensive. But … the water from the tap stank, like old socks, or mildly bad body odor, or something. And the smell was transferred to dishes and glasses when rinsed and filled with bottled water. So I got on the Brita water filter kick (PUR or whatever on sale) I know it’s not necessary. But why does the water from the tap smell like 10% of it has just rinsed a mule’s backside. I know some places over-chlorinate to compensated for bacterial load. I know such water is safe to drink. But why does it smell bad, and why should I endure it when options are available? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016/54 "2010-06-06T19:31:28Z")
Taste, pure and simple. When I lived in NYC the water was quite drinkable as others have noted. Where I grew up (outside of Harrisburg PA) our tap water was from a well, and had been through a water softener, and it was horrible. I never drank tap water there. Here in Fairfax County Virginia, it’s certainly safe to drink, it just doesn’t taste all that good. If I need to take a drink out of the bathroom tap, it’s especially bad (maybe because the water has stood in those pipes a bit longer than from the kitchen tap). So we used to buy bottled, but now we just use a Brita. Lot cheaper, gets rid of just enough of the chlorine taste to make OK-tasting, and saves a buttload of wasted plastic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-whats-the-story/542016.md?page=2)