Let’s face it, we have to have water to survive, but where should we go to find safe, clean, great tasting drinking water? I read an article in the Washington Post that does a really good job of highlighting this dilemma and also offers some water quality facts that everyone should know. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a better picture of the water quality issues we face.
To start with what options do we have? Fortunately most of us have access to some form of reliable water supply; unfortunately this same water source most likely contains contaminants of some variety. Even in cases where the water you draw from the tap has been tested and treated to remove harmful contaminants there can still be trace levels of chemicals (such as chlorine) and other particles that are not filtered out before reaching your faucet. Trace levels of some contaminants are considered “safe” for human consumption, but there are many more that are currently unregulated and could be present in your drinking water without anyone throwing up a red flag.
The potential safety hazard posed by drinking contaminated tap water has driven many consumers to drink bottled water instead. While bottled water sales have boomed in the U.S. over the last decade some estimates show the price for bottled water is astronomically higher than that of tap water. A cost you could easily choose to pay for safe drinking water, but the reality is that the “higher quality” found in bottled water is in many cases a myth. Some companies simply bottle tap water and sell it in a pretty plastic bottle, while others have been forced to perform product recalls when toxins including mold and bacteria were found in their products. This type of contamination of drinking water is possible because bottled water quality is not regulated by the EPA and in many cases is subject to far less stringent safety standards.
The final option is easily the best choice if you really want the safest, cheapest and best tasting drinking water. A quality carbon based water filter can help remove many of the contaminants found in tap water making it much safer to drink and even improving taste. Water filtration systems are available for virtually any water quality issue and the savings when compared to the cost of bottled water will pay for the cost of the filter ten times over. It’s a simple choice.
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