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# Locals’ taste in water is put to the test with surprising results
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/locals-taste-in-water-is-put-to-the-test-with-surprising-results/
- Published: 2007-06-02T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:56:53.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: local, Promenade, #archive-import

*By IRENE MANAHAN Special to the Daily Press*

SANTA MONICA Still or sparkling? Minerals? Electrolytes? How about purified? Spring? Well? Tap?

A tall drink of water sure isn’t what it used to be.

Today, consumers are besieged in grocery store aisles by shelves and shelves of fancy water bottles with pretty labels, each promising a great taste and healthier quench. Back home and at the office, tap seems to clear that parched throat just fine. While some believe all water tastes the same, others are convinced there’s much more to a bottle of H2O than clever packaging.

This week, the Daily Press decided to put people’s mouths where their money is, staging a water taste test on the Third Street Promenade to determine whether or not bottled water really tastes better than Santa Monica municipal tap.

Taking a random sample, 15 testers tasted Voss, an artesian water; Smart Water, a distilled option; Evian, from the French Alps springs; and tap water from the Daily Press bathroom... the sink, that is.

The test revealed that purely for taste, most Santa Monicans prefer the brand Evian, with seven respondents picking it outright as the winner and another two on the fence between Evian and Smart Water. A close runner-up, however, was Santa Monica tap, drawn fresh from a second-story office, the choice of five respondents (or 33 percent)!

For nine testers, as long as it’s refreshing, the brand name of the water didn’t affect their choice as a consumer, but for the other six, the brand and process of filtration influence their regular water purchases.

But bottled water isn’t competition for the venerable tap, argues Stephen Kay, vice president of communications for the International Bottled Water Association. Rather, it’s simply an on-the-go beverage option for consumers looking for a single-serve drink that contains no calories, sugars or artificial colors.

While they may not be in direct competition, tap and bottled waters are often viewed differently by consumers.

“The last one tastes like pennies,” said volunteer tester Justin Clarke of the tap option. “It’s like faucet water.”

A regular bottled water buyer, Clarke like many others, immediately noticed the difference. While he was unpleased with the taste, some reacted positively.

“I knew that was tap,” said Christine Niels, who’s admittedly intimidated by bottled water prices. “I prefer the taste of tap over bottled anyway.”

The pressure placed on restaurant patrons to purchase bottled water rather than drinking tap irks Niels, who said she resented eateries that try to push imported bottles like Pellegrino and make “the bill $50 more expensive” by the end of a meal.

The average price per gallon of bottled water in the U.S. is $1.34, according to Kay.

“There is an ingrain fear in some people. Not so much here in Santa Monica or even in California, but in some areas throughout the country, they do not have safe tap water,” said Gil Borboa, water resources manager for the city of Santa Monica. “In Santa Monica, our water is in compliance with all federal and state guidelines and regulations.”

The taste of tap is dependent on its location.

“Tap water isn’t the same around the country. It’s different from community to community and from tap to tap,” said Arthur Wiesenberger, founder of the Bottled

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 2, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/060207.pdf?ref=smdp.com)