There are many options available when it comes to bottled water. In fact, if you’ve been to the grocery store lately, there is almost an entire aisle dedicated to the various types of bottled water available and on the market. It can be a little overwhelming. If you are purchasing bottled water, let’s take a look at the different types available, so you can make a great decision.
Spring Water
Spring water, simply put, is groundwater or well water and not surface water. It can also be sold as artesian water. According to the EPA, it is “water that comes from an underground aquifer.” It is important to note that spring water is not purified water. Consumers should be cautious about the spring water they purchase and drink. Through clever marketing and product packaging, many people think of spring water as pure. The purity claims on spring water packaging, however, simply refer to the source of the water, not the water itself. 100% pure really just means that 100% of the water came from a spring or an underground source.
Finally, spring water is not typically bottled at the source. It is usually pumped into tanker trucks to be transported to a bottling facility. It is chlorinated for transport and then de-chlorinated at the bottling facility through a carbon filtration process.
Distilled Water
Distilling is a purification process that removes impurities through boiling and evaporation. All additives and minerals are removed during the distillation process. Because of the lack of minerals present in distilled water, many consumers report a “flat” taste of distilled water due to the lack of minerals present. It is important to note that the World Health Organization warns against drinking only distilled water, as it lacks some beneficial nutrients and necessary minerals such as magnesium and calcium. This is only a significant risk if one were to drink only distilled water.
Filtered Water
Filtered water is put through a carbon filter to remove impurities such as chlorine, VOCs, sediment and odor and to improve the taste. The final product is similar to spring water, however, commercially filtered water has to abide by stricter EPA regulations. Some filtered waters are also micron filtered. This is an additional step that removes microbes and most chemical contaminants.
Purified Water
Purified water is the best choice available, as it contains less than ten parts per million of contaminants. The method of purification is far superior to filtered water, including some combination of these additional steps:
Filtration
Sedimentation
Distillation
Chemical processes such as Flocculation and Chlorination
Deionization
Reverse osmosis
Ultrafiltration
Microfiltration
Ultraviolet oxidation
Electrode ionization
The result is delicious, pure water that is cleaner than tap, spring, distilled and filtered water. If you are going to purchase bottled water, we recommend purchasing nothing but purified water.
Peacock Water
At Peacock Water, our purified water dispensers are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week at any of our six northwest Ohio locations. The dispensers are conveniently located just inside our door, meaning you will never have to wander around a huge grocery store when you just need to run in and pick up good water. You can also contact us to schedule bottled water delivery service for your home or business. If you are tired of dealing with water odor and bad taste, you’ll love our purified water!