How Much Bottled Water Should I Drink a Day?
The short answer is none.
Bottled water should be used for emergencies only.
If you’re currently experiencing a water crisis on the level of Flint, Michigan’s, bottled water may be the best solution.
However, if your tap water has low to moderate contamination, bottled water isn’t the answer.
Filtered Tap Water Is Better
We’ve studied the water quality of 788 U.S. cities with populations over 50,000.
Some of them have terrible water quality.
Miramar, Florida has the worst with 75 contaminants.
Many of them have moderate levels of contamination.
Quite a few cities have great water.
Rochester Hills, Michigan has some of the best with 5 contaminants.
Every city in the U.S. can have better water using filtration.
How do you make tap water safe?
Reducing contamination levels is as simple as filtering the water.
You can use Brita or PUR filters for low to moderate improvements.
Or you can use a better system like a Berkey filter to remove most contaminants including lead.
Bottled Water Costs More
Each bottle of water you drink takes at least double the amount of water to manufacture.
It also costs money to ship it (water is heavy).
Bottled water creates unnecessary waste.
- If it’s a plastic bottle, you’re unlikely to reuse it.
- Most of these bottles end up in landfills (recycling isn’t as effective as you think).
- Millions of them end up in the ocean.
Bottled Water Tastes Like Plastic
It tastes like plastic because the bottle is plastic.
Plastic molecules get into the water that you then swallow.
Some of this plastic sticks around in your body.
You know it’s there based on the flavor.
Filtered Tap Water Doesn’t.
Assuming you use a stainless steel water filter like Berkey, you won’t have that plastic taste.
You’ll also have a lower impact on the environment and lower water costs overall.
Conclusion: How Much Bottled Water Should I Drink a Day?
As a water quality company, we think you should avoid bottled water.
The one exception being a legitimate water emergency.
If you don’t have access to clean tap water, by all means use bottled water.
However, this should be a short-term solution.
The best option has two parts:
- Take care of your home’s water with a good filter first. We recommend these.
- Contact your city officials and encourage them to take steps to improve your water.
Want to Learn More About Your City’s Water Quality?
Use the search bar below to find out what contaminants are in your water:
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