This is somethign I just seen and thought I would pass it on to everyone here http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070726/hl_nm/pepsico_aquafina_dc

One of the many great episodes of Bullshit! had an assistant pose as the "water maitre d'", offering a menu to diners that included waters from all over the world. Diners tried different varieties and commented on the differing virtues of each. Naturally, they later learn all the water emerged from a garden hose.

I've just never understood the entire bottled water phenomenon.

I don't have a fetish about bottled water, but our water in Laredo routinely fails (badly) EPA standards for coliform bacteria, heavy metals (we have runoff from an uncleaned antimony smelter going in the river as well as huge amounts of sewage from Nuevo Laredo, which had *no* sewage treatment plant at all until 2000, and which is overburdened and covers only about 50% of the city now), water pressure in the decaying infrastructure is inadequate and we routinely get warnings of sewage infiltration into the lines (one of the new subdivisions here was on a boil advisory for six *months*), and we get occasional boil notices or 'notice of failure' from the local water utility, so we do drink bottled water the majority of the time here. Prior to coming here I almost exclusively drank tap water, and still do occasionally, but we *do* have a genuine water safety issue here.

That having been said, I agree with the 'trash into landfills' issue, think that in most cases it's a huge waste of money and resources, and read something interesting a while back, namely that dentists are, after decades of falling numbers, seeing a rise in childhood cavities again. Why? Bottled water is, by and large, unfluoridated... :)

Regards,
Nydia

I think it was World News tonight did a story on bottled water. Some communities are out right banning the use of bottled water and forcing people to drink tap water. Events would have coolers with tap water, and they would hand out cups. Bottled water is a billion dollar industry that eats up millions of barrels of oil to transport bottled water around this country yearly. Its a huge land fill waste...something like 40% of the bottles end up NOT being recycled. It just doesn't make much sense anymore.

Although in Nydia's situation bottled water > than sewer water. I wonder if an RO unit would help your water situation?

We have similar issues and get boil water warnings often. I use a bottle water server they come twice a month and deliver my water. I don't mind the tap water if I'm boiling it or bathing in it I just can't bring myself to drink it.

But I think it's silly to buy it in 12 or 16oz bottles; Ibudin your argument doesn't make much sense when one considers the amount of soda that is dunk. There are tons of things that are wasteful not just bottled water. I send my bottles back and get new ones I'm fairly sure mine are being re-used.

Its not my argument it was a story ran on ABC nightly news and in fact water bottles account for shit load landfill waste. You can't pump "SODA" out of your faucet either. For instance. I live in Milwaukee which about 12-15 years ago had a major cripto outbreak. They redid the water systems in Milwaukee that feeds water to virtually a couple million people. Its one of the best water systems in the world...yet I have relatives that swear bottled water is so much better for them so they buy bottled water, along with umpteen thousands of other people...who could simply drink the god damn tap water thats absolutely better than anything they can get bottled.

And what's more, virtually no bottled water is flouridated.

And what's more, virtually no bottled water is flouridated.

General Ripper would be proud of the quoted post. It's all about purity of precious bodily fluids!!!

I'm not drinking the water from my tap period :)
It sucks and the township knows it; when they fix it that would be a different story till then I'll stick to the bottle water I get monthly. True soda doesn't come from a tap but when I look in the shevles in stores I see far more soda than water.

Same here. I'll be damned if I'm drinking Atlanta's tap water, until they've cleaned it up and kept it clean for years.

Heh one more reason I'm glad I live in Alaska, can still find places where the water in the stream is cleaner than most taps down south. Aside from that I think people obsess way too much over bottled water. Sure it's a good idea in some areas, but then I see every yuppy SUV driving pinko drinking the stuff by the gallon.

Where in Alaska?

Phoenix just has funny tasting water. I'm used to it and drink tap, my wife still can't stand it. A filter on the faucet helps. I think a distinction is needed when talking about bottled water. I have nothing against folks to buy it in large containers, or have it delivered. The environmental outcry seems to be more aimed at people who buy the small bottles, drink half of it, and throw the rest away.

I remember drawing water from the main rivers and streams in Anchorage for testing probably 20 years ago -- all but 1 failed drinkability IIRC. Hope it's improved since then.

Most Glacier run offs, as long as they're moving water are safe. I'd stay away from lake water though, fish poop in it. In one case I actually took water samples of the stuff I was drinking and took it into my biology class to test it and look at it under a microscope the stuff was cleaner than tap water.