While fixing plumbing in a customer’s home, on occasion we get asked our thoughts on the safety and purity of tap water as drinking water. There are even times when customers want to know our opinion on the classic bottled water vs. tap water debate. Although every Ben Franklin plumber is entitled to their opinion on the subject, we feel there are some facts and issues that people should consider if they are questioning the safety of their drinking water.
Because water has naturally-occuring contaminants like algae and other particles, it’s necessary for municipal water treatment facilities to chlorinate the water in addition to employing other processes to deliver optimum purification–and to satsify federal guidelines like the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations established by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).
Given these rigorous requirements–and not factoring in other considerations like proximity or location near organizations that produce chemicals and pollutants that have been known to contaminate public water supplies–your tap water is, more or less, pretty safe.
What people need to consider is the safety of bottled water. It seems the public–some of our
customers included–have a tendency to question the safety of tap water because they don’t like its taste and think that this signals something must be wrong. I know many people feel that
bottled water just tastes better–and, let’s face it, it’s packaging and marketing goes along way
toward convincing us that it is somehow superior to tap water.
Although the bottled water industry is regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration),
another organization–the NRDC (National Resource Defense Council) has reported that
bottled water isn’t any safer than tap water. In fact, the NRDC stated that 22% of the bottled
water brands it tested had results that showed a chemical contaminant level that exceeded strict
state standards for drinking water safety.
The NRDC has also gone so far as to report that after testing 1,000 bottled water and tap water
samples, the conclusion was that bottled water was no more safe than tap water. They’ve even
reported that at least 25% of bottled water is just bottled tap water that has undergone further
treatment (and in some cases, the tap water is just bottled and marked-up in price).
So, besides perception, it seems the remaining issue really comes down to taste. If you really
can’t stand the taste of your tap water, we suggest purchasing a carbon filter that can be eaisly
attached to your faucet and provides additional filtration.
(Me personally? I tend to take my tap water with some lemon juice and I’m good to go.)
However, if your tap water is not running clear or you can see particles in your tap water then
you may have a filtration problem that needs immediate attention. Please don’t hesitate to
call Ben Franklin Plumbing in Fort Worth at 817-983-7876 and we’ll be right over!
