Answer
Not necessarily. Check the bottled water label or contact the bottled water supplier for test results on their product. Under special circumstances, such as during an emergency, bottled water can be a good choice. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates public water systems. As shown in our Water Quality Report, the City's water supply meets all federal and state EPA drinking water standards. Bottled water must comply with Food and Drug Administration regulations. Most required monitoring under the FDA regulations is not as frequent as the monitoring done on City's water under EPA regulations.
Depending on the source of the water and the treatment process, some bottled water may contain more or less amounts of substances than tap water. Some studies have shown that microbial growth may occur in bottled water during storage due to the lack of residual disinfectant. The City of Palm Coast combines chlorine and ammonia to form chloramines to its system to control microbial growth. This year, Aquafina will begin stating on labels that its H2O comes from public water sources. And Nestlé Pure Life bottles will indicate whether the water comes from public, private or deep well sources. Dasani acknowledges on its website, but not on the label itself, that it draws from local water.
