Tap Water vs. Bottled Water, Who's Right?

Municipalities and pro tap water advocates are claiming that tap water is safe and there is absolutely no need for the bottled water industry. But despite these claims and recent negative publicity the bottled water industry continues to grow at phenomenal rates.

Supporters of tap water claim that bottled water can often have more bacteria that tap water, that the majority of bottles do not get recycled and are going to the landfills, that those big trucks that delivery bottled water contribute to green house gases and at the end of the day many brands of bottled water are just filtered tap water any way. And if that is not enough the cost per gallon can be more expensive than gasoline.

Let’s examine each of these claims.

Bacteria Counts - The Reverse Osmosis process used by many bottled water companies does effectively remove parasites and bacteria from water. Many companies take further steps to kill bacteria in water with such methods as Ozonating. Bottled water gets into trouble due to the risk of insufficient disinfection of reused water bottles or the time lapse between bottling and consumption. This can allow bacteria to grow to the point of unacceptable levels by the time the water is being consumed.

Bottled water should be stored in dark cool places. Unfortunately most retailers, offices and homeowners store their bottled water in open spaces where the water is exposed to indoor light or sun light that can generate algae and bacteria growth in the water.

So, if you prefer bottled water to tap water buy in quantities that allow you to use it quickly, before bacteria can develop and store it in a cool dark place.

Bottle Recycling - There are studies showing that the vast majority of water bottles are not making it into recycling centres but are ending up in land fill. First, this will cause our landfills to reach capacity sooner than needed. Second, with such a large number of bottled not being recycled manufacturer will have to deplete more natural resource supplies to manufacturer various goods such as carpteing etc.

Green House Gases - Water is very heavy by volume and it takes large trucks with large gas guzzling engines to transport water bottles to homes and businesses. Many customers have delivery one to two times per month. This is twice per month that a truck has to burn gas and emit the hydro carbons and other air pollutants that are contributing to Global Warming.
Just Filtered Tap Water - In fairness to bottled water companies they do more than just "filter" tap water. The Reverse Osmosis process that many companies use produces in water in it’s purest form. Only distillation results in a purer water, and only marginally so.

What Is Reverse Osmosis?

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a process where water is pressed up against a semi permeable membrane. The porousness of the membrane is so minute that only water molecule can work their way through. Just about all other impurities are rejected and discharged. Here is a list of impurities that RO is documented to remove from water. Here are some of the impurities it removes.

THMs (chloroforms), DBCP, Lindane, TCE (trichloroethylene), PCE (tetrachloroethylene), Carbon tetrachloride, Chlorine, Barium, Potassium, Bicarbonate, Radium, Cadmium, Selenium, Calcium, Silicates, Chromium, Silver, Copper, Sodium, Detergents, Strontium, Fluoride, Sulphates, Lead, PCBs, Magnesium, Insecticides, Nickel, Herbicides, Nitrates, Bacteria and Parasites

Before even going through the RO process there is often two or three stages of pre filtration to make the RO process more effective and one or more post RO steps to ensure the water is safe, pure and tastes great.

High Cost - The cost per litre can vary greatly depending on what volume and form you are buying it in. For instance. Delivered bottled water in 20 litre jugs will usually cost between $6 - $8 per just which is $.30 - $.40 per liter. The small bottles purchased at the local convenience store are often $1.00 to $1.50 for 500ml which is $2 to $3 per liter.

Why Is Bottled Water So Popular?

Pro tap water supporters are passionate about the reasons for not using bottled water. So why is it that the bottled water industry continues to grow a great rates despite all the information and negative publicity surrounding it’s consumption?

Taste- Many feel that tap water tastes horrible. The bad taste usually comes from a combination of chlorine in the water, sediment and other impurities and odours picked up in municipal and household plumbing lines.

Chlorine is usually the dominant taste in municipal water. Levels of chlorine can change daily based on the level of bacteria the municipal water department has to deal with and how close you are to a "booster station". This explains why the taste of chlorine seems almost acceptable some times and other times, it tastes like your drinking from a swimming pool. There is a lot of pressure on municipal official to ensure that our water is micro biologically safe so they will tend to error on the side of caution to be sure there is plenty of chlorine in the water to kill the bugs.
Chlorine does dicipate while it interacts with bacteria as it travels through municipal lines.

There are booster stations long the way that keep injecting chlorine into the water supply to be sure it keeps the water microbiologically safe to the furthest customer down the line. If you are physically close to one of these stations you will have higher levels of chlorine in your water than those further down the line.

Chlorine (THMs) - Chlorine not only tastes bad, it is very toxic and it creates a by product called THMs that is proven to cause cancer. This is well documented by Health Canada. If you go to their site and search "Chlorination of drinking water" you will find a report explaining how THMs do exist in tap water and can cause cancer. However, they also state that they don’t feel the levels are high enough to be of concern. But in the next paragraph of their report they suggest "point of use" filtration if you are concern about THM levels in your water. Feel free to contact me at tony@jugless.ca and I will be happy to get you the Health Canada report.

So with this knowledge in hand why is chlorine used to disinfect drinking water in Canada when many European countries have banned it. It’s very simple. Money. Chlorine is the most "cost effective" way to disinfect water. Not the safest, but the most cost effective.

Other Impurities - There are many other impurities in drinking water. Depending on your location you may have rust, dirt, Arsenic, Lead and Manganese in your local water supply. Local municipalities do their best to keep the levels of these impurities as "safe" levels but it is a constant challenge to manage nature.

In Langley, 2 of the 12 local aquifers consistently fail their Arsenic level tests. So far the chosen method to handle this is by mixing enough of the "good" water with the "bad" to dilute Arsenic levels to a safe amount determined by Health Canada.

Trust - General trust of tap water has waned in years since the Walkerton incident. This was an incident when local water official were "sleeping at the wheel" when e Coli levels started to rise and they didn’t take corrective action causing many people to die and many more to become very ill.

System safeguards are not infallible. Most if not all municipalities publish some form of "water safety report’. Very often these reports will state that the systems were effectively safeguarding the water 98%of the time. And the water officials are generally pleased with this level of success. But what about the other 2%. Does this mean the water is unsafe 2% of the time? Are we on our own during these times?

So here you have pro tap water advocates with some very strong arguments against bottled water but there are also some strong arguments for those who choose bottled water. Who do you believe? What is the right thing to do?

The 3rd Option
"Point Of Use" Purification

There is an other option that is taking the whole water industry by storm. In home Water Purification systems. The advancement of technology and the growing awareness of point of us (POU) Reverse Osmosis Water purification systems has created a wedge between tap water and bottled water supporters and is growing at a phenomenal rate.

These systems are typically installed under a kitchen sink and can dispense water through a dedicated purified water tap at the sink to a "jugless" water cooler that automatically replenishes it self.

They work by connecting to the cold water line under the sink and putting the water through the same Reverse Osmosis process used by many bottled water companies described earlier in this report. Many say this provides the best of both worlds by producing "bottled water quality" enjoyed by so many without all the negatives and hassles of dealing with bottled water.

Consider some of the advantages:

No Heavy Lifting & Spilling

For people using jugs, a reverse osmosis system eliminates the need to constantly replace the hassle of replacing the jugs. Most machines are installed under the sink, and a tube is set up to run from the system to the cooler.

Saves Time & Energy

No more driving down to the store, wasting gas and time, to pick up more water.

If you’ve been on a jug system, you know the hassle of trying to figure out where to put all those darn jugs. I’ve had clients start using my system for this one benefit alone.

Better Sanitation

As mentioned before, most bottled water actually contain higher concentrations of bacteria and parasites than regular tap water. When you use the bottled or jug solution, you may inadvertently be contaminating your cooler with bacteria from the bottles or be drinking water from a cooler not sanitized often enough.

You never run out of water

As long as you have tap has water, you can have an infinite amount of pure, clean, fresh water in your home.

Costs much less per litre than bottled water

On average, a reverse osmosis system actually costs less than a bottled water solution. You can get an unlimited amount of purified water for just pennies a glass!

Very Affordable
Some water purification companies have made it possible for just about anyone to afford an in home water purification system. Systems that would cost over $1000 several years ago can now be installed for under $500. There are also service plans being offered where the customer pays nothing up front for installation but is charged a very affordable fixed monthly fee for the system including filter changes and service.

In the end, I encourage you to shop around, take a look at the different models and ask the tough questions to make sure you get the best solution for your situation.

If you have any questions at all regarding water purification in Langley, Surrey, Abbotsford, Mission in British Columbia visit www.jugless.ca