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.
