In their efforts to become healthier, Americans are spending $5 to $10 a week on bottled water. Suspicious of tap water, many people buy bottled water because they think it’s purer, more natural, and healthier. Recent research has revealed that most of these factors don’t apply to most bottled water.

One thing that consumers don’t understand is that many bottled waters come directly from municipal water supplies or, in the case of "spring water," from wells or aquifers. Though this may sound like a bad thing, tap water is strictly regulated by the EPA and is carefully monitored by the municipalities. Bottled water, on the other hand, is regulated by the FDA and is only monitored if it is shipped across state lines or is imported. If the water is bottled and sold within the same state, it is only subject to state regulations, which can vary greatly. Although most bottlers belong to the International Bottled Water Association, that is only a trade group who sets its own guidelines. The fact is, if the bottled water you’re drinking comes from a municipal tap, most bottlers mask that fact as much as possible. Consumers are often paying a premium for water they could pour from their own taps.

How good is our tap water? Several studies have pointed out that, although most bottled water is of high quality, they often are out of line with the more strict guidelines for tap water. In fact, a recent study of municipal tap water from Cleveland found that one-quarter of the bottled waters tested had much higher bacterial counts than tap water. Although the bacterial counts weren’t necessarily high enough to cause illness, the findings certainly shoot down the myth of pureness that drives consumers to spend so much of their money on bottled water.

Behind some of the names of popular bottled water — Aquafina, Dasani, Glacier Clear Water, and Everest Water, for example, are waters that are not from the pure spring sources suggested by their names or packaging. Even when bottled water is not tap water, the rules are loose enough to allow "spring water" to come from aquifers or wells.

There are times when bottled water is the safest choice. If you get your water from an unregulated, private well, you are at greater risk for contamination. If your tap water is contaminated, the best choice is to filter it — it’s more convenient and less expensive than bottled water. It’s also easier on the environment because it cuts down on the use of plastics and the energy to make, ship, refrigerate, and eventually to dispose of the bottles. Most of the plastic from the bottles ends up dumped in our land fills.

How do you find out more about the water you choose to drink? You can check out the information at the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water hotline at 800-426-4791.