Bottled vs. Tap Water in Paeonian Springs and Loudon County

There are two primary reasons why people buy bottled water and keep it in the refrigerator at home. The first is to have a ready supply of clean, filtered water anytime you venture outside the home. Grab a couple of bottles, pop them in a cooler, and you’re good to go.

The other reason is based on the belief that, in general, bottled water is safer and cleaner than tap water. Well, in most cases, that simply is not true.

For starters, up to 30% of bottled water comes from big city municipal tap water systems, then goes through a filtration process before being poured into those ecologically disastrous plastic bottles – but that’s a blog for another time. Anyway, you know all those pretty pictures of unspoiled mountain springs on bottled water labels? In all too many cases, they are egregious examples of false and deceptive advertising.

Okay, but that still doesn’t answer the question of which is better: tap or bottled water. And while there’s no easy answer, we can report the following:

• Bottled water is tested less frequently that municipal tap water.
• The FDA, while it tolerates low levels of E. coli and fecal coliform in bottled water, does not permit any such contaminants in tap water.
• Bottle water manufacturers also are not required to disinfect or test their water for parasites like cryptosporidium or giardia. Municipal water companies do impose such requirements.
• Unless you’re pregnant, have a weakened immune system, a chronic illness, etc., chances are you’ll suffer no ill effects from drinking and cooking with tap water.

Ultimately, it all boils down to this. Not all bottled water is bad OR pure, and not all tap water is absolutely safe for drinking.

So, if you live by “I’d rather be safe than sorry,” then contact Your 1 Plumber today and ask us about a very affordable and easy-to-install water filter tank under your kitchen sink, one that will connect to a dedicated filtered water faucet on your counter. Then you can be sure of what you’re drinking while helping to minimize the purchase of plastic water bottles, of which only about 23% get recycled.