Today, we’re going to witness a little battle: tap water vs.
bottled water, and when it is over, I’ll tell you which one I think won.
So, my home’s tap water comes from the city’s municipal
water supply. That water comes
from underground water (62%), from the Colorado River by way of Lake Matthews
(32%), and from the State Project water in Northern California by way of the
California Aqueduct (6%). Before
joining with the water supply from which we drink, the water is treated at two
facilities: the Sierra Del Oro and Lester Water Treatment Plants or the
Temescal Desalter. Also, the water
distribution system itself is treated with mono chloramines to clear away
chemicals and such that might react with the organic matter in water to create
disinfectant by-products.
 | |
| Yes, it might be tasty, but we don't need it. Plus tap water might actually be better for us. Image from popsop.ru |
Furthermore, many water samples
are taken and tested for things like Uranium, Combined Radium, Arsenic, Lead,
and Chromium. In the most recent
test done, 100% of the water samples were found free of harmful organisms and
did not exceed any of the maximum contaminant levels as specified by the United
States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and California Department of
Public Health (CDPH). This means
that tap water in Corona provided through the municipal water supply is very
safe to drink.
The federal agency that
monitors bottled water is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Under the FDA, bottled water is
regulated as a food. As per
regulations set by the FDA, bottled water are that it must be safe and that it
be processed, bottled, held and transported under sanitary conditions. The definition of bottled water is that
the water is intended for human consumption and is sealed in bottles or other
containers with no added ingredients except that it may contain safe and
suitable antimicrobial agents.
However, fluoride also may be added within the limits set by the
FDA. Most of the regulations
include the inspections that the bottled water and its manufacturing plants are
subject to if the FDA decides to collect samples. However, not all individual samples collected by the FDA are
tested for all harmful contaminants, only suspected contaminants. Furthermore, companies are not required
to conduct such tests themselves to ensure the quality of their water.
On the other hand, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) is the federal agency that monitors tap water. By my observations, their regulations
are much stricter. For one, there
is a list of dozens of contaminants that must be tested for and taken out of
water before it is allowed to be released into the municipal water supply. The list includes categories such as microorganisms,
disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals,
and radionuclides. Cities are
required to do tests every year and release an annual water report to share
their findings. They also monitor
the sources from which the tap water comes from.
 | |
| Next time you're thirsty, just make a quick trip to your kitchen sink. Image from santhoffplumbingco.com |
In short, the EPA has stricter contaminant guidelines and watch the quality of tap water much more than the FDA and bottled water. In fact, the FDA seems more concerned with the sanitation of packaging and transport when they should care about the quality of water just as much.
Beyond regulation, there are
also many serious drawbacks to tap water itself. For one, it costs a lot to buy, and the factories that make
the bottles to hold the water produce a lot of pollution. Then, you have to factor in all the
resources used to transport the bottled water from one place to another. One might think that recycling would
help balance the effects on the environment, but 80% of all bottled water
bottles end up in landfills. And a
good portion of those that are recycled are actually downcycled, turned into
lesser quality plastic goods.
Whereas, tap water comes
straight out of your sink, and all it costs in one more cup to clean.
So, who wins this little
battle?
I’d say tap water hands down.
