Natura^® Water

Water
The water that goes into water bottles is another cause for concern.

Types of Water
There are six types of water that is bottled. Each type has specific criteria it must meet in order to be labelled that type of water.

1. Spring Water is water that comes from an underground source and that flows to the surface naturally (not pumped to the surface). It must have less than 500 parts per million TDS (total dissolved solids)
2. Mineral Water is the same as spring water except that is has more than 500 ppm of TDS.
3. Well Water is water that is same as spring water but is pumped to the surface.
4. Artesian Well Water rises to the surface under its own pressure from a confined aquifer.
5. Purified Water can come from an underground source or it can come from municipally treated water. It is also called distilled water, deionized water and reverse osmosis water.
6. Carbonated Water is water that contains carbonation either naturally or from adding carbonation. It can come from a spring, well or community water supply.

Regulations and Standards
In Canada, bottled water is regulated under the Federal Food and Drug Act because once water is sealed, it is considered a food product. There are nine regulations for bottled water but five deal with labeling, one with prepackaged ice and ONLY 3 with bottled water quality. The three water quality standards state that:

• Mineral water and spring water must be from a groundwater source and cannot contain any coliform bacteria.
• If the water contains coliform bacteria, more than 100 total aerobic bacteria per mililitre, and naturally occurring fluoride ions it cannot be sold
• Distilled water, demineralized water and carbonated water definitions.

The regulations surrounding quality are scary. According to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Act in the United States bottled water does not have to be disinfected or use certified operators or labs. When it comes to contaminants like E coli or Cryptosporidium, bottled water is NOT banned from using water containing these organisms and the water going into the bottles only has to be tested once per week. The companies producing bottled water do not even have to have filters in the water system to get rid of pathogens.
There is also the concern of water bottling plants depleting the water sources they are using to the point where the original users have nothing left and are forced to buy their water.

Source:
Bottled Water a Fact Sheet from the Safe Drinking Water
Foundation Bottled Water Basics – an EPA document on bottled water