I read this article at ABC news stating that the bottled waters Aquafina and Dasani are really just municipal tap water, filtered one more time. One of the sources of Aquafina is the Detroit River. ABC had various bottled waters and various municipal tap waters sent to a lab. All were equally safe. ABC then did a blind taste test using avowed bottled water fans. Among the unscientific results were tap water being the winner some of the time and the most expensive brands of bottled water not winning at all.
Since I had some shopping to do today I decided to write down the price of various fluids as I visited my local gas station and my local supermarket. This is part of what I found:
| Fluid | Price Per Gallon | Commentsnbsp; |
|---|---|---|
| Aquafina | $5.68 | owned by Pepsi |
| Dasani | $4.76 | owned by Coke |
| Gasoline | $2.64 | cheapest gas at Shell |
| Tap Water | $0.003 | $2.71 per 1000 gallons |
I got the price for my tap water off of my water bill. My municipality has an impressive water treatment facility. When I called them to ask them about the quality of the water I got to talk to an engineer, very proud, who gave me a very long lecture. My only problem with my tap water is that during the winter time it is contaminated by the run off from snow melting. Their solution is to put enough chlorine in the water that I can smell it when I draw a bath. My solution was to buy a Brita water pitcher for about $20. Very cheap, very convenient. Problem solved.
