In Santa Monica, tap water could be salty due to our beachfront location, said Wiesenberger, but its filtration makes it safe and palatable.
“The general perception about tap water is pervasive. We work very hard to counteract that by providing water that is perfectly safe to drink,” said Borboa.“There should be no fears about its safety.”
With so many brands and types of filtration, it’s often difficult for consumers to distinguish which water suits them best. Taste and quality are subjective to each consumer, and like wine, each water has its own characteristic that makes it more or less enjoyable to consumers.
STEP INTO LIQUID Adding to the water drinker’s dilemma are the untold options of bottled waters, as defined by the FDA, including spring, purified, mineral, artesian and natural sparkling.
The most common type of bottled water sold is still spring water, according to Kay. “(When water is processed) you’re trying to take something out of it,” Wiesenberger explains. “The first thing that is being removed is usually chlorine, which is used to kill bacteria. It gives a strong chemical taste.”
Purified drinking water, like Aquafina, is produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other suitable processes.
Natural sparkling water, like Perrier and Pellegrino, is water that after treatment contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had as it emerged from its source.
Artesian water — like Fiji and Voss — is bottled from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand). It comes from a source deep within the earth, protected by layers of clay and rock.
“It’s almost a case-by-case basis.” — Water Web
Spring water, like Evian and Arrowhead, is taken from underground formations, from which water flows naturally to the surface.
Taste testers Kelly and Patrick Charpenet spend approximately $100 for Arrowhead spring water each month. Not so surprisingly, Kelly Charpenet selected another spring water — Evian — as the best tasting of the bunch. “‘Natural spring water’ means nothing is added to it,” said Wiesenberger. “Spring reveals the water’s journey up the spring and is like a fingerprint of soil.”
As a result of the journey, some waters are highly charged with minerals while others are very light.
Mineral water, as described by the FDA, contains more than 250 parts per million total dissolved solids. It has a constant level and relative proportions of mineral and trace elements at the point of emergence from the source.
According to Wiesenberger, Americans and Europeans greatly differ in water taste.
“They like to have their minerals. It’s almost medicinal,” said Wiesenberger. “The water’s composition of minerals has many health benefits. For example, one with high magnesium that is salty will be good for the digestive tract. Others are used for specific ailments, like kidney stones, or it could be used as a laxative.”
Europeans tend to drink water for what’s contained in it, while Americans typically try to remove everything. Go figure.
Still, sparkling, spring, tap... drinking waters run increasingly deep.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 2, 2007. Read the original PDF.