Maybe your better off giving up bottled water!
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So this week's assignment is about where our water at home comes from as well as learning if bottled water is any better than tap water. After short investigation at the site http://www.riversideca.gov/utilities/water-wqr.asp I learned my tap water is "groundwater from wells in the Bunker Hill Basin and Riverside Basin." The Water Annual Report from Riverside provides a little more information about my water:
Riverside’s water begins as rain and snow that touches down in our local foothills and mountains and flows down through the earth into underground aquifers. With every storm, these water sources, located throughout the Riverside and San Bernardino basins, receive new water that is filtered through percolation, a naturally occurring purification process.
I learned that California's drinking water standards are among the highest in the U.S. That certainly makes me feel a little better about drinking my tap water.. if I had too. Lab tests are carried out daily to test for harmful chemicals as well. The tap water is safe to drink and has a safe amount of chlorine to prevent bacteria from growing in it (but the water can be filtered if the chlorine is an issue).
On another note, it is of interest to know WHO regulates our bottled water and tap water. Not surprisingly, the Environmental Protection Agency regulates tap water. They have National Primary Drinking Water Regulations and primary standards to protect the public by limiting the amount of contaminants in drinking water by enforcing maximum contaminant levels. Bottled water is regulated by The Food and Drug Administration. It appears that tap water might be the safest to drink after all because "Public water systems must also provide reports to customers about their water, noting its source, evidence of contaminants and compliance with regulations." The FDA seems to lack in regulatory authority unlike the EPA. "By comparison, GAO said, FDA regulates bottled water as a food and cannot require certified lab testing or violation reporting. Furthermore, FDA does not require bottled water companies to disclose to consumers where the water came from, how it has been treated or what contaminants it contains."
There are also a lot of concerns and drawbacks with water bottles. Their has been a lot of media on the impact of plastic water bottles. Apparently the most environmental thing you can do is carry around your own reusable water bottle filled with tap water. A spokesperson for the Natural Resources Defense Council says roughly 70% or more of water bottles end up in landfills and incinerators, "That's 170 bottles per year for every man, woman and child in America,". You also have to think about the money and energy going into manufacturing the bottles as well as transporting them. The most alarming factor is the chemical bisphenol A found in plastic bottles that may alter the hormone levels in your body.
In conclusion, " In study after study, bottled water has been proven to be no cleaner than tap water, and has the added disadvantage that it isn't nearly as well regulated as your tap water." Let's not forget your tap water is cheaper than bottled water.
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I really enjoyed reading you blog. I have to agree with you that we should all drink more tap water and stop using bottled water. It would be a great way to stop contaminating our bodies with BPA chemicals and also contaminate the environment with unnecessary plastic.
ReplyDeleteBenisi I agree with you. We want to save other things instead of the world. I like your pictures by the way.
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