Most Americans tended to take safe drinking water for granted, this was until the crisis of lead contamination in Flint, Michigan. People now are relatively aware that plain tap water isn’t the best for them. Cities where the tap water is thought of as clean and 100% drinkable, can contain toxic substances.
Water, whether from tap or hot and cold water dispensers in Atlanta, is a necessary component for functioning every cell in the human body. Staying constantly hydrated helps to eliminate toxins from the body. Drinking water has many benefits to the overall health of the body, yet some people don’t know the kind of water they are consuming.
As a consumer it is important to know the options of drinking water; the most popular choices being spring vs purified water. Is there a better choice compared to the other?
Spring Water
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, spring water is “derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth at an identified location, may be collected at the spring or through a borehole, tapping the underground formation that feeds the spring”. For water to be considered a “spring” water, it needs to originate from an underground aquifer.
How is it Made?
Natural springs form along the sides of mountain valleys. The path that the water takes through the mountain rocks to the surface acts as a natural form of filtration. Spring water goes though very little distillation; the goal is to keep the minerals that occur naturally.
That’s why the water looks so clear and consumers prefer drinking it without any further treatment. Many people prefer the taste of spring water over purified due to the natural minerals present by the natural filtration process.
What are the Benefits?
Spring water has many benefits of drinking it. This water has extreme purity and provides the right proportion of minerals the body needs. The main appeal of spring water is that it is a “pure” source. It is important to know that spring water is required to meet basic Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) purity standards, however, spring water is not required to meet the ppm (parts per million) standard.
Purified Water
Compared to spring water, purified water typically goes through a filtration process and is then purified further to remove chemical pollutants, pathogens and other impurities such as copper and lead. Before a bottled water can be marketed as “purified”, the overall impurity levels of the water need to be reduced to 10 parts per million or less.
According to the U.S. FDA, purified water is “produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other suitable processes. Purified water is essentially free of all chemicals and may also be free of microbes if treated by distillation or reverse osmosis”. Purified water may alternatively be labeled according to how it is treated, for example, deionized water distilled water, or reverse osmosis water”.
How is it Made?
Purified water can come from almost any source, including groundwater or already existing tap water. There are many methods of purification and filtration, the most popular being the use of carbon filter with the reverse-osmosis water filter unit.
During this process, water is put through a semi-permeable membrane. Here only the purest water molecules are collected- the unwanted particles are discarded. The addition of the purification steps makes purified water far purer than spring, tap, or groundwater.
What are the Benefits?
Purified water is protected from harmful chemicals, pathogens, and contaminants that could pose as a health risk. It removes harmful bacteria that can lead to sickness. Purified water removes chlorine and distilled solids such as magnesium that float in the water.
Purified vs Spring Water- Which is the Better Water?
Both purified and spring water are considered safe according to the EPA. It is a personal preference as to which water is considered better. Spring eater does seem to be preferred more due to the benefits it offers that purified lacks. Those that prefer spring water tend to enjoy the natural minerals that are not found in purified water. Essentially, both purified water and spring water are considered safe to drink and it is a personal preference to decide which is better!
Lipsey Has the Freshest Mountain Spring Water
As you consider which type of water to drink, be aware that we use only the freshest spring water. We do in office or home delivery and offer a two-week trial. Contact us today so we can get you started!