Do you drink bottled water?

[NightWatcher]

I was reading about the bottled water industry trying to fight having to disclose exactly where it gets the water and what else is in the water that they bottle and sell to us.

I'm just looking to get a base of how many people drink bottled water. I gave up plastic bottled water a couple of years ago, switching to a Camelback plastic bottle, and ultimately to a stainless steel bottle because of the issues surrounding leaching from plastics.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jqOBYb1sY3xodWibfMNarODUhMGwD99AD0OG2
Consumers know less about the water they pay dearly for in bottles than what they can drink almost for free from the tap because the two are regulated differently, congressional investigators and nonprofit researchers say in new reports.

Both the Government Accountability Office and the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, recommend in reports released Wednesday that bottled water be labeled with the same level of information municipal water providers must disclose.

The researchers urged Americans to make bottled water "a distant second choice" to filtered tap water because there isn't enough information about bottled water. The working group recommends purifying tap water with a commercial filter, however.

Both reports were released at a congressional subcommittee Wednesday morning.

Bottled water — an industry worth about $16 billion in sales last year — has been suffering lately as colleges, communities and some governments take measures to limit or ban its consumption. As employers, they are motivated by cost savings and environmental concern because the bottles often are not recycled

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Anchorage has great water.

We only buy bottled water (sometimes) when we're going camping.

[Stevenmarc]

2. Filtered NYC tap for me.

[cutlassmama]

46. same here n/t

[CatholicEdHead]

3. Sometimes

Usually when traveling. A case can go many months.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

4. Brita filter and 1L SIGG bottle.........

no need for throwaway bottles here.

[hlthe2b]

5. Filtered Denver tap in Sigg bottle or make tea with filtered water...

iced green mint tea, oolong, mango black tea in a double walled nissan-thermos bottle with a pop up straw (LOVE THIS BOTTLE!!!)

[Chemisse]

6. I have great-tasting well water

And I pour some into a stainless steel bottle to bring it with me wherever I go.

[vadawg]

47. yup great well water for me too, usually in a well used pepsi bottle.

[TornadoTN]

7. Filtered Water with a SIGG bottle

Works great for me. Well water if possible.

[blaze]

8. Ack!!!

I hate being the first to vote for the first option....

For me it's a combination of convenience and necessity. I do commercial heating and air conditioning and buy two cases at a time to keep in my truck. When I'm headed up to a roof, I toss a couple bottles in my bucket before I head up.

At home, it's strictly tap water.

Sorry. :(

[csziggy]

22. Get an Igloo cooler - you can keep cold water for all day

My dad used to run a survey/prospecting crew out in the Florida heat. He had a 10 gallon Igloo cooler for the crew. Every morning he'd buy a block of ice for the cooler then fill it with water from a garden hose. He got those double walled plastic cups to take on the truck and the men would fill them from the cooler. The 10 gallon cooler would last a crew of 6 men all day even on the hottest Florida days.

When we were going to horse shows, we got a 3 gallon Igloo to take along. I'd fill it with ice from my refrigerator ice maker, top off with water from the tap and take a cup to drink from. Back then, few show concession stands sold bottled water, only sodas, so that was the only way I could get cold water to drink. And it was much cheaper!

You could get refillable bottles to carry on the roof with you - fill from the cooler and they would do the same thing as the pre-bottled water in the disposable bottles.

[blaze]

44. I know, I know...

I have carried a (smaller) cooler in the past...

But all it takes is one day of forgetting to fill it, or not having a source to fill it and it doesn't take long for the lack of water to catch up with you.

If I have water available at the site, I *will* refill my bottles... and I *do* recycle the bottles I use.

I know. It's still not good. Please don't beat up on me. I already feel guilty enough. :(

[csziggy]

49. It is certainly more important that you keep hydrated

Like I said, I am in Florida and I have worked outside on a farm where the chores have to be done, even if the heat index is above 100 F.

I don't mean to beat you up - but not only is carrying a cooler better for the environment, it is cheaper for you. So you might think about having a few bottles as backup but try to use the cooler most of the time.

Of course, I still have not broken my husband of his fizzy flavored water addiction even though a DUer recommended a much more economical and environmentally sound option - http://www.sodastreamusa.com/

We just need to do what we can where possible. :shrug:

[HopeHoops]

9. Pepsi and Coke have both admitted that Aquafina and Dasani are "water from municipal sources"

All "bottled water" means is that it is water in a bottle that meets tap water standards - nothing more. Spring water has to come from a spring, but that's okay even if it is contaminated. The ONLY water worth purchasing is DISTILLED water. We have about 20 gallons on hand in case of emergency - gallons, mind you - not 12 oz bottles.

[fishwax]

10. sometimes, but pretty rarely

normally I have a reusable water bottle that I drink from at home and take to work/school. But occasionally I do forget it and so I'll wind up buying a bottle ...

[csziggy]

11. If I'm driving somewhere and forget my big jug of water from home

I'll buy bottled water to drink. Otherwise, I drink well water from my farm.

[Betsy Ross]

12. Brita filter and Klean Kanteen. n/t

[timeforpeace]

13. Our tap water is the best tasting water there is. Comes from a high mountain source.

[Liberal In Texas]

14. I distill my own water and refill disposable bottles.

Carry around bottles and larger plastic containers for the refrigerator.

[and-justice-for-all]

15. I have a reusable stainless steel bottle that I use...

not an ounce of plastic on the thing, which I fill up at home from filtered tap.

And if I am out and need buy a bottle of something to drink, I take the bottle home with me and toss it in the recycle bin. Same goes for work, I bring 99% of mmy trash home and it all goes in the recycle bin.

[bigwillq]

16. I drink flavored water.

I can't really drink non-flavored water unless it is really cold. I can, however, drink flavored water no matter what temp.

[seabeyond]

17. i kept reusing gall containers until i got a filtering system in our house. n/t

[Speck Tater]

18. Other: I drink well water from a glass tumbler. NO BOTTLES. Bottles are for babies. nt

[frogmarch]

19. I drink filtered water from my kitchen tap, and

when I go on trips, I carry the same kind of water from my kitchen in a plastic Thermos jug.

[REP]

20. Kidney patient; use bottled distilled (and recycle every bottle)

A home RO system would be wasteful and expensive; moreso than bottles. Since switching to using only bottled water, I haven't had a kidney infection where I used to have them 6 - 8 times a year. Don't miss the infections or the PICC lines.

[CraftyGal]

21. I only buy bottled water if I forget mine at home.

We use filtered tap water as we just found out about the level of lead in the pipes. We have copper pipes int he house, however the city still needs to replace the lead pipes.

CraftyGal

[onethatcares]

23. I gotta get a filter, anyone know how good Brittas are?

my wife and grandkids go thru 32 bottles every two weeks and I'm losing my mind about the plastic build up and the cost of the damn stuff. I live in Floriduh where our government sells the spring water to Nestles for 1 cent a gal. and you know what they charge us? $4.00 for 24 16 oz bottles.

[JBoy]

33. I use a Brita filter/pitcher system. Works great.

The more stuff it has to filter out, the more frequently you'll have to replace the filter.

[Critters2]

24. I drink tap water in reuseable no 4 or no 5 plastic bottles

that I bought at resale shops. My favorite, my assistant calls it my "constant companion", is a Rubbermaid "chug" bottle that I bought at Goodwill. I like the size and the opening. I prefer the ones I've gotten at resale to many new bottles that are made in China, which has its own set of environmental problems. My Rubbermaid bottle is made of No. 5 plastic, so it's bpa free.

[bedazzled]

54. i use a pur pitcher and bottles like yours

i love them because they can be washed in the
dishwasher, so they're always nice and clean.
i fill them with ice cubes and a little water, and
freeze them. then i fill them up and bring them
wherever i go. that way, i have cool water all day.

i never liked the taste of bottled water. tastes
like the bottle it comes in

[ohheckyeah]

25. I just use a large

drink cup that I get at Wendy's or Hardees. I wash it out and fill it with ice and tap water that is filtered.

[FLAprogressive]

26. I wouldn't drink bottled water if the tap water down here didn't taste like shit

I recycle the bottles....

[Warpy]

31. Florida water sucks and gives me the trots every time

unless I boil it first.

However, if you're acclimated at all to whatever is living in it, filtration might reduce enough of the rotten taste to make a decent cup of coffee or tea.

[FLAprogressive]

37. Yeah I use tap water for everything else but drinking.

[a la izquierda]

55. Our water in Oklahoma tastes like...

dirt and pepper. It's revolting. Our filter gets most of the garbage out.

[elifino]

27. Filtered well water from 400 ft. in 385 ft. granite

I do not drink treated or processed water.

[taterguy]

28. I only drink beer

Obviously

[Warpy]

29. I have a C02 setup

and use the plastic bottles that came with it plus Brita filtered water to make my own seltzer. I've dropped my recycling considerably by dropping my soda purchases, especially in the summer. I have lime flavoring but often find I prefer the plain seltzer.

I've just got to have those bubbles. Everything else is negotiable.

I never drank plastic bottled water from the supermarket. I have lived in a place the water was so bad they told us to shower, not bathe, and I had to use a water service that changed out 5 gallon carboys of the stuff every week for cooking and drinking. It was a pain in the ass and I just can't understand people who lug cases of bottled water every week in and cases of recycling out to the curb the next week for something that comes out of the tap in a potable form and is made perfectly lovely by filtration.

That bottled water is a nightmare for a lot of reasons. It's fiscally stupid since a filtration pitcher will turn local water gourmet for a fraction of the cost. It's environmentally stupid, even though plastic can be recycled the market for it is not great now. It's stupid from a health standpoint because that water sits for months between bottling and your stomach, with plastic leaching chemicals into it. Most of it is filtered tap water, so you're just kidding yourself about that natural spring water shit on the label.

If you refill the bottles at home until they're totally kaput, you're ahead of the game because the water doesn't sit in them long enough to pick up much of a chemical load, the bottles are recycled only when they die, and you'll save a bundle.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

30. Aquasana Water Filter and bottles.

I did my research about a year ago and settled on the Aquasana system. Great performance and a good price.
I have a filter on my shower and on my tap water. You can easily feel and taste the difference, respectively.

That reminds me... I need new filters.

[Raine]

32. Sometimes

I mostly drink water from my tap but if I'm out and thirsty I'll get a bottle of water.

[timtom]

34. I do NOT drink bottled water.

I don't filter my water.
I don't drink out of plastic bottles.

[redqueen]

35. Pur water filter, insulated cup. (nt)

[azmouse]

36. I never drink water from any bottle whatsoever.

Anyone remember cups?

[Dark]

38. I have a supply for an emergency. But I normally use tap water.

n/t

[rosesaylavee]

39. Stainless steel and out of the tap

Our town just switched to a reverse osmosis water treatment plant so our water is actually pretty good.

[Umbral]

40. I use a glass, I think it's made by Libbey. nt

[MikeE]

41. At home I keep a glass pitcher of it in the fridge

At work the water fountains are filtered and much better than anything you could buy, (also, it's cold), and I not destroying the environment with plastic

[Hepburn]

42. I actually HATE water....

...it makes me gag.

I cannot stand it and I never drink water unless it is carbonated ~~ then it is OK. Other than that, it tastes like dirt to me. Even worse? If someone puts a lemon in it. Mega gag me. It tastes like someone washed the glass in lemon scented dish liquid and did not get it clean and then did not rinse it well.

From the time I was a very small child, the taste of water makes me gag. I have no clue why ~~ but I absolutely never drink the stuff, particularly the stuff they sell in plastic bottles. It smells slimey to me.

[melman]

56. I'm amazed when people say this

Water is so good,and so important!

[krabigirl]

43. Sigg bottle and a Brita filter.

[rucky]

45. #3 is the only way to go

[Skip Intro]

48. I held a glass of tap water up into bright sunshine. I stopped drinking tap water. nt

[sutz12]

50. Yeah, I use bottled water...

I actually refill the bottle several times before I drop it in the recycling bin.

I drink bottled water when camping, too.

[proteus_lives]

51. I get reusable jugs of water.

And if you saw the sludge that comes out of my taps, you would too.

[muriel_volestrangler]

52. No option for "I don't use a bottle"?

When I'm going hiking, I fill a (reusable) bottle from either a tap, if I'm in a building, or from a stream, if I'm out in the countryside.

But in normal life, I drink water every day, and never use a bottle. I fill a glass from the tap. I don't think the special behaviour for when I'm hiking really counts.

[cali]

53. My tap water- which is town water, comes gravity fed from a spring

and it is fantastic. Comes out icy cold.