What is the difference between filtered/bottled water and tap water?

Tap water tends to have chemicals added to it. Filtered water removes some impurities, and then is usually supplemented with minerals and the like.

Not all bottled water has minerals added. Some brands are from natural springs and go through the natural filtering.

Depending on where you live, your tap water can be pretty bad to drink.

	Deviant Audio -  4002 pts -  (2 years ago)
	Hence the use of the word "usually." Kentucky water is fail.

	Chicken Nugget -  4225 pts -  (2 years ago)
	Not everyone can have lead-free water...

	Deviant Audio -  4002 pts -  (2 years ago)
	Yum, the delicious taste of death.

It is worth noting that bottled water is not as clean as you might think. Bottled water is relatively unmonitored, but there are loads of quality standards for tap water that must be met.

Here are a few links to support this:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/skip-bottled-water.html
http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/appa.asp

	Chicken Nugget -  4225 pts -  (2 years ago)
	Everything is worth noting. ^_^ Cool links.

	curiouslystrong -  300 pts -  (2 years ago)
	Ever wonder if bottled water was just an ingenius marketing scheme devised by some dude sitting at home in East Bumblefuck, filling up bottles in his bathtub and laughing wildly as the checks cleared?

	knewk -  388 pts -  (2 years ago)
	Wasn't Coca-Cola sued for filling Dasani (their water) bottles with hose water?

The worst thing about bottled water is the bottles themselves. Plastic bottles are recycled at a rate of less than 10% and the rest go into landfills or else end up at litter. The plastic NEVER biodegrades.

If your tap water is nasty tasting, a good compromise is to filter it yourself. You can opt for an inexpensive Brita filter, or other similar product. The bad taste of municipal tap water is often because of chlorine. Filters with charcoal reduce the odor and taste associated with chlorination. Other filtration steps remove lead and other metals.

Many bottled waters use public tap water as their source and simply filter out impurities in a process not very different from what you can do in your home with affordable equipment.

	bobbonew -  2656 pts -  (2 years ago)
	I agree with PlasticLess; my own tap water at my old apartment was disgusting for some reason. A simple $20 Brita filter made it taste absolutely amazing. And NO empty plastic bottles are created!

	Chicken Nugget -  4225 pts -  (2 years ago)
	I do not like the Brita filter. It does help remove certain things, but eh if I am going to buy a filter, then I will go buy a better one.. I guess I am picky in certain ways.

but isn't water just water