Everywhere you go these days people are drinking bottled water.  In the last 10 years bottled water consumption has tripled and sales were around $16 billion last year.  You would think that bottled water would be a safe choice over tap water but it's not.  The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) studies have shown that some brands of bottled water contain microbial contaminants.  Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) where tap water has to meet State and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.  The EPA standards are much higher when it comes to testing and certifications.  All water treatment facilities and utilities fall under jurisdiction of the EPA and must comply with water being tested by certified labs. The results must be reported to state and federal officials and the operators must be certified. The water contains chlorine to prevent bacteria growth and essential nutrients such as calcium and iron.

The FDA does not require reports to be made to state or federal officials. Operators do not have to be certified at bottled water plants.   Most of the time the filtration process removes all the natural minerals before the water is bottled.  No Chlorine or disinfectant is used to kill bacteria.  Recent reports have recommended better labeling for bottlers.  If your going to pay for the bottled water then they should meet the same standards that the EPA requires for our tap water. 

No matter which you chose to drink, it's still a matter of personal choice.  Here are a few helpful suggestions to help you go green.  If you do decide to drink bottled water refill with tap water a couple of times before recycling.  Do not continue to use for a long period of time due to the plastic breaking down.  Try a  personal stainless or plastic sports bottle and refill whenever you need too.  If you don't like the chlorine taste in tap water, refrigerate for 8 hours and the taste will go away.