Pure water, right on tap (Boston Globe)

[marmar]

Pure water, right on tap
By Yvonne Abraham , Globe Columnist | July 22, 2007

Do you know where the water in that bottle of Aquafina comes from?

Pristine, snowy mountains like the ones on the label, perhaps?

A virgin aquifer protected for centuries by layers of rock and ice in Norway, perchance?

An underground lake on the edge of a primitive rainforest on a Pacific island, possibly?

Ayer, actually.

As in Ayer, Massachusetts. Best known for mills, railroads, and a former military base. And the water comes not from some gently burbling spring in a picturesque valley, either, but from the municipal water supply. Which pumps a slightly less-filtered but equally safe version of that same water into residents' homes for a quarter of one cent per gallon.

Still, we chug down buckets of the pricier stuff.

Nationally, we'll drop $16 billion on bottled water this year. That's 27.6 gallons for each of us. Since most of the bottles it comes in never get recycled, we're helping to clog landfills with 4 billion pounds of plastic annually. And when you consider the energy it takes to make and move those bottles into and around the United States, you might as well fill a quarter of every single one of them with oil. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/22/pure_water_right_on_tap/

[Buzz Clik]

1. A quarter of a cent per gallon versus a dollar for 20 ounces.

Until Aquafina costs more than a Coke, people will continue to pay more for it than gasoline.

[Sherman A1]

2. Thanks for the link

I was going to write a small piece for my newsletter at work (grocery store) about this very subject. I think bottled water is overall pretty dumb. Nice to have on some occassions like traveling in the car, picnic, hikes, etc but overall just pretty dumb.

:toast:

[Sherman A1]

3. Thought I would add one for you from St. Louis

St. Louis has the best tasting water in the nation


http://www.stlwater.com/bestwater.php

[marmar]

4. No way, dude....

Michiganians sit on one-fifth of the world's available fresh water - our's has to be the best. :)

[Sherman A1]

7. Ahhhh,

Now the gloves must come off... and we should engage in water bashing or something.....

Our water is better than your water..... Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah....



:toast:

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

[Tab]

5. Spring water comes from natural springs, or it should

like Poland Spring water, etc.

But stuff like Aquafina and Dasani are just purified tap water.

I grew up drinking water from deep-drilled wells - in fact, this is the first year in a long time that I've had to be on "city water" (since I moved last year). Fresh deep-well water has minerals and is absolutely delicious, particularly when cold.

This city water is crap. In fact, we now have to have water delivery for a water cooler because the city water is flaky. I know Aquafina and Dasani filter the bejeezbus out of their water, but ultimately it's still treated tap water from the source, without natural minerals, and they taste it. I just don't buy Aquafina and Dasani. Dasani at least tries to ADD minerals, but still, it's not the same.

[roseBudd]

6. I fill my water bottle from a Brita pitcher or a H2O fountain, H2O fountains have Culligan filters