I am also guilty of using bottled water but this is due to elevated chlorine levels at my town’s water supply. What to do?
- Store uncovered tap water in the refrigerator to dissipate chlorine.
- Boil water to remove unpleasant taste. If you are concerned about tap water safety, contact your local water company or check the EPA Safe Drinking Water site to get the lowdown on your neighborhood’s water supply. Municipal water systems are required to test for harmful microbiological content several times a day while bottled water companies are only required to test once a week. Consumers are not assured that bottled water is cleaner or safer than tap.
- Use faucet-mounted, undersink, whole-house or reverse-osmosis water filters.
- If you do buy bottled water, write or call the bottler to find out more about the source and its surroundings. The label or cap should tell you if it came from spring waters or a community water system.
- Buy from companies that use PET or PETE plastic, marked with the number 1. It leaves less solid waste, is easier to recycle and releases fewer emissions.
- Wash and reuse plastic bottles. However, this can further compromise the quality because chemicals used in the plastic can leach into the water.
- For portability, invest in reusable bottles you can fill with tap water.
As one joke goes, Evian is “naive” spelled backwards.
