John Moriarty, Grade 10
Mr. Wood / Wilmington High School
"Turn to Tap Water"
Many people in this world live under the assumption that bottled water is better then tap water. This, however, is a common misconception given that tap water, when juxtaposed with bottled water, has many traits that prove its superiority.
Some of the qualities that make tap water better than bottled water are consumer and manufacturing cost, waste generated from bottled water and the many bacterial concerns involving bottled water. With new ground-breaking research being done on the subject, it is fairly evident that tap water is the way to go over bottled water.
One of the biggest concerns in the average family is saving money. People will do anything to save money whether it is five dollars or five hundred dollars. Some of the most common solutions are to cut back on electricity use or to car pool to reduce gas costs.
Many people don't realize that they can save hundreds of dollars a year by eliminating their consumption of bottled water. If they then turn to tap water, they will only have to pay pennies a day compared to the costs of bottled water which range from $.80 all the way up to $4.00 a gallon.
After much research at my local supermarket, I found that the average cost of bottled water is $1.50. This I found after averaging the lowest bottled water cost, store brand, with the most expensive, Fiji.
With more and more people turning to tap water, there will be more money to spend on other family necessities. This is one of the most prominent ways in which tap water is superior to bottled water and is directly related to another perk for tap water, environmental safety.
If more and more citizens of this planet begin to turn to tap water and away from bottled water, we will not only save more money but also help save the environment from pollution. According to associates at conserverplasticbags.com, over twenty eight billion water bottles are produced each year and according to researchers, only twenty three percent of those bottles are recycled.
After completing the math, one would determine that over 2,156,000,000 bottles are disposed of into waste containers, not recycled, each year. This proves yet again that tap water is substantially better to drink than bottled water considering the mass amount of pollution. When consuming tap water, one must simply obtain a reusable glass, fill the glass with water from a sink, drink the water and repeat.
As you can see from this process, not a single bottle, or particle of plastic for that matter, is disposed of into the environment and thus, by drinking tap water pollution is reduced by great proportions.
Many people may assume that both tap water and bottled water are both regulated by a government funded organization or agency. Many people may not know however that the two sources of drinking water are regulated by different organizations and so they follow different guidelines in production.
Tap water in the United States is regulated by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); where as bottled water is regulated by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many people do not know that the EPA has much stricter guidelines than the FDA and so in effect, the tap water that many people view as taboo is in fact a much safer source of drinking water.
For example, the EPA forbids any form of e.Coli bacteria to exist in its water supply, if found punishment will ensue. The FDA however allows a certain amount of bacteria to be in bottled water.
Also, according to the EPA, all water systems and their operators must be certified, but the FDA does not require certification for bottled water operators.
Lastly, another important fact is that tap water contains nutrients that are essential to the growth and functioning of the human body including iron and calcium which also gives tap water its distinct taste.
In bottled water, the opposite occurs and all of those essential nutrients are removed along with the mineral taste. So, for everyone doubting tap water, think about it, wouldn't you rather drink a guaranteed bacteria-free, nutrient-rich glass of water that was treated in a plant with certified workers than a bottled water that may possibly contain bacteria that is lacking essential nutrients?
Tap water vs. bottled water, it's an age-old battle resulting from the distribution of plastic bottles. What if we didn't have plastic bottles and you were forced to drink tap water? Well, it wouldn't be so bad considering all the money you would save and how much you would save the environment. With all the evidence out there, bottled water isn't better than tap water considering all the essential nutrients you receive from tap water. So next time you need a drink of water, be smart, save money and help your body, choose the tap.
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