Have you ever turned on your faucet and wondered, “how clean is this water?”
Falon French, outreach associate and policy researcher for the Hoosier Environmental Council said it depends on where you live.
“In Indianapolis there have been some taste and odor issues that have been linked to the algae on the White River, but overall, tap water is safe to drink,” said French.
Based on the size of the water treatment facility, water is being tested hundreds of times per month to ensure that drinking water is safe.
“Each day, Citizens Water conducts more than 250 water quality tests to ensure that the water is safe and that all federal and state water quality standards are maintained,” said Sarah Holsapple, media relations coordinator for Citizens Energy Group.
To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency establishes regulations, which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. There are some concerns over the contaminants that are allowed in tap water, such as benzene, and other issues that circumvent the water system’s rigorous testing, such as rust that flakes off of an old water pipe.
Although tap water is safe to drink, many are taking a proactive approach and purchasing water filters. French said people should use discretion when deciding a water filtering method. While French uses a water pitcher that filters contaminants that remain after the drinking water utility has treated the water, she instructed her grandparents to purchase a home installation system to filter their questionable well water.
James Robinson of Water Shed LLC, drinks Kangen water which is produced by a water system called Enagic. The system alters the acidity levels of water and uses electrolysis to produce a pure, clean taste.
“I have diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and a thyroid problem. I drank this water and the next day, I woke up feeling better. What brought my attention to how good this water is, was my wife. She drank it and felt good too,” said Robinson who sells Enagic water systems.
French said that she cannot speak to water’s nutritional properties on the body; she does, however, believe that whether water is drunk straight from the tap or filtered, either method is better, and less expensive, than bottled water. Some brands go the extra mile to filter their water while others are simply putting tap water into bottles, she said.
The Food and Drug Administration does regulate bottled water; however, some may contain small amounts of contaminants they claim do not pose a health risk. Companies are required to sample both source water and the final product for contaminants.
The FDA also regulates flavored and nutrient-added water.
“Bottled water systems that actually filter water usually use a distillation or reverse osmosis system. After that you’ll find that the water tastes different. A lot of people find it tastes flat. So, they’ll add back in trace amounts of minerals to add flavor to the water,” said French. “As far as I know, bottled water companies do not have to report the minerals they add back in, so there’s always the possibility that there’s something that is more than a trace amount. As long as they are filtering the water and adding in small amounts of minerals, it’s going to be safe.”
Tap water, filtered water or bottled water – French believes there are far greater concerns regarding water such as runoff from residential or agricultural areas; pipe pollution; or factories dumping waste into water. The real issue should not be about tap versus bottled water – it should be about focusing on protecting the purity of people’s water resources such as streams, rivers and lakes.
For more information from the Hoosier Environmental Council, call 317-685-8800 or visit www.hecweb.org; Water Shed LLC call (317) 529-1211; Food and Drug Administration, visit www.fda.gov; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, visit www.epa.gov.
