Bottled water question. Are we consuming too much?

1. 77

   brimancandyposted 13 years ago

   Is it just me or are there way too many brands of bottled water sitting on store shelves these days. I mean you walk into these supermarkets, and there are stacks and stacks of those packs of bottled water piled to the ceiling.
   
   I wonder what would happen if you took just one day, and went to every single grocery store in america, and dumped all that water back into the earth at a single location. I wonder what would happen? I mean it doesn't seem fair to me that grocery stores can back stock all this water, when people in some areas don't have safe water to drink, and, some areas have gone totally dry.
   
   I wonder how much regulation goes into the bottled water industry. I would think that it is not regulated enough. I know bottled water companies are constantly salivating over my home sate of Michigan, because we are surrounded by hundreds of miles of fresh lake water.  Not only that, but all the various brands of sodas and juices sitting on the shelves are also using millions of gallons of water.
   
   I wonder how much water we actually use on any given day. Taking a shower, watering the lawn, washing clothes, running the dishwasher, and all those swimming pools and hot tubs. Not to mention the huge amount of water used by waterparks and zoos.
   Which also stock and sell bottled water!
   
   I think there is going to come a time when we seriously need to find new ways to get water, as we are using more and more every day. And, some of it is even thrown away. I know, because I have seen a certain grocery chain do it!
   
   What do you think?

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      couturepopcafeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, too many brands.  But no more than other products.  I don't like the taste of my tap water so started drinking bottled water.  Also don't want the chemicals.  Chlorine especially.  Don't need flouride which doesn't even work systemically only topically, and may in fact cause flouridosis of the bones.  (I think that's what it's called).  I am constantly on the move but have now switched to a water filter on my tap and fill a quart size bottle to take with me.

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         Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I don't like our tap water either, so I put in a $180.00 Aquasana under sink filtering system.  It was very easy to install (and trust me - I am a home handyman idiot) and paid for itself very, very quickly.
         
         The instructions were excellent. they included everything I needed and I had everything installed and working very quickly.  The only thing I had any trouble with was six months later when I changed the filters - that is actually easy too but I forgot that one of the caps has a reverse thread - I was tightening it rather than loosening it!
         
         Do a search for Aquasana here - there are a number of reviews (including my own).

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2. 87

   Marisa Wrightposted 13 years ago

   Bottled water is a complete scam. 
   
   Of course it's good to drink plenty of fluid daily, but there is absolutely no need to carry a bottle of water around with us everywhere, unless you're constantly on the move.  It's perfectly possible to drink more than enough water at meals  and at snack times - when you can drink filtered water or tap water instead. 
   
   The bottles are causing an enormous environmental problem.  Most are not recycled. Recycling them doesn't solve the problem anyway - every time plastic is recycled, more of it is wasted and more tiny pellets of plastic escape to pollute the oceans.
   
   Every person who drinks bottled water should consider that every single bottle they buy will live longer than they will - and longer than their children will, too.
   
   And that's not even thinking about the energy being wasted to bottle and transport the water around the country and around the world (why can I buy Italian water in Australia?).

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      Hestia DeVotoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think I could put it any better than this.

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3. 0

   WildIrisposted 13 years ago

   You are right, water is a big issue. I think some people consume bottled water because the water where they live tastes and smells bad, and not all water is potable water. Perhaps the problem is how most people take water for granted. Having lived without a reliable source of water makes me keenly aware of just how precious water is. 1 gallon of water equals a bit more than 8 pounds. 
   
   At one time drinking fountains were in public places, but I seldom see them any more. They've gone they way of the payphone.
   
   The branding of water is silly. Clean water straight from the source tastes good anywhere in the world.

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4. 83

   timorousposted 13 years ago

   Water is necessary to aid in digestion, and keep your system working properly.  If you drink more than your body needs, the excess just gets excreted before it can do any good. 
   
   So, unless you're very active, you don't need to carry it around with you.  Bottled water is a scam, and a very wasteful one at that.  A decent filter for your home water supply will likely be all you need, unless your local water supply is poor quality.
   
   Instead of the plastic bottles (re-using them is unhealthy, you know), get an approved stainless steel drinking bottle, and just fill it up from your filtered tap water, as needed.
   
   Besides, even though recycling is a good thing, it should be your last choice, after reduce, and re-use.

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5. 69

   lrohnerposted 13 years ago

   According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, 8,666.6 millions gallons of bottled water was consumed in the US in 2008 -- and the US is 10th in total consumption. Mexico was actually the #1 consumer.
   
   That said, I am way less concerned about the amount of water (as I figure we're going to consume it whether it's bottled or out of the tap) as I am about the plastic bottles generated by the industry -- all 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year.

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6. 71

   Cagsilposted 13 years ago

   Bottled water question. Are we consuming too much?
   
   First off, no human can consume too much water.
   
   Secondly, bottle water(like Marisa said) is a scam and directly shows how gullible the general public continues to be on certain topics.

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      John Holdenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Am I alone in being amazed by how the rain falls on the earth and  spends a few thousand years percolating down and then  a few more thousand years returning to the surface where we manage to capture and bottle it within a few weeks of its best by date?

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      1. 71

         Cagsilposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         And your point?

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            John Holdenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            There has to be one!
            Now they tell me.

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               Cagsilposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               

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      2. 77

         brimancandyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         It depends on where you live John. There is a bottled water factory here in Michigan, and there are currently lawsuits pending against the company, because it is in a rural area, and a lot of people who live around the plant are complaining that their wells are constantly going dry, and they have to dig new ones. As, the plant is sucking the local water table dry.
         
         Like I said, Michigan is on the eye of the bottled water industry, and there are some court battles going on to keep more factories from setting up shop here. Coke and Pepsi both have plants in Michigan as well. Even though those companies would create needed jobs, the outcome of what would happen to our water resources are always the big question.
         
         I also wonder if you have heard about the battle over water that is being pumped to Vegas from Lake Mead. They say Vegas is using so much of Lake Meads water, that, if they continue to use it at the current rate, in few decades there may no longer be a Lake Mead. There is even talk of pumping water from Lake Michigan out west. Of course our state is fighting that idea big time. Considering that our lake levels have dropped more than a foot in a decade.

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            John Holdenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Sorry for my failed attempt to be flippant!
            Here in the UK we've had several prosecutions for selling natural bottled water whose source is the tap in the barn connected up to the well fed local water main!
            
            WE are seeing the start of a backlash over here, much campaigning against the sale with bars and restaurants joining in, refusing to sell a 330ml bottle for £2 and offering a carafe of tap water gratis.
            
            The wastage of water is pretty scandalous and should be stopped, damn it, I'm sure you've some idea of how expensive gas is here-it can be cheaper than bottled water.

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               brimancandyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Yes we had a lawsuit like that here as well. The state filed the lawsuit against one company, and the company was stupid enough to start making claims about it's water before it was tested, claiming they add certain things to the water to purify it, along with vitamins, and stuff like that.
               
               Well, they tested several cases of the water, and found that it had no more additives than the local tap water. But, there was a slight bit of difference in the bottle waters cleanliness, compared to the tap water, but only by about 5 percent. And, of course the company claims that 5 percent is better than none. But the state socked them with fines, but allowed them to continue with business as usual.
               
               It was also learned that all the stuff that the company was supposed to be putting into the water to purify it was cut back to save on costs. In short, they put nothing into the water, and basically sold tap water to the public hoping that nobody would ever find out.
               
               Sneaky bastards.

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      ediggityposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      This is an inaccurate statement.  Humans can die from Water Intoxication.

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         John Holdenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         But generally they need some assistance from drugs or have some underlying medical condition. As far as you and I are concerned it is an accurate statement.

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            ediggityposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Actually, water intoxication can occur without any drugs or underlying condition.  It can range from physical activity and improper electrolyte replacement, to simply just drinking excessive amounts of water.
            
            http://health.howstuffworks.com/disease … cation.htm

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            psycheskinnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Except that it isn't.  You can die from water intoxication just from being really really thirsty (like being stuck out in the open in a hot area without water for a day)

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7. 0

   cherriesageposted 13 years ago

   I don't buy bottled water. You buy it, you are paying for packaging and convenience at best and are basically getting tap water. I buy about four jugs of water about once a month and refill them until they need to be replaced. It kills me when people do not recycle their plastic bottles. The bottles are just shells! Once the water has been drank, the bottles are useless unless recycled to make something new like t-shirts or be a source of post-consumer plastic for all the other thousands of things we use plastic for. It is each person's responsibility for the waste they create.

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8. 60

   William R. Wilsonposted 13 years ago

   The next world war will be fought over water.

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      C.J. Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You mean like in LCACS that hover over the water?

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         William R. Wilsonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         

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            C.J. Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Ah, the roo spaniel. Rare breed.

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9. 0

   zampanoposted 13 years ago

   I understand you concern about water and it will become more and more THE subject in all discussions. But for most of comercialised bottled water, it happens to spring out spontaneaousely from the ground.
   There are much more brands of wine and I really don't feel like dumping them back where they came from.
   

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    C.J. Wrightposted 13 years ago

    I agree that bottled water is a scam. One can filter and/or boil their own water to accomplish the same result, if not better than bottled water. The plastic container and transportation cost are wastefull.
    
    I don't think regulation is the way to go about this. Simply spread the word. Stop buying the stuff and the market will respond.
    
    I had a culligan reverse osmosis system in my previous home. It was a bit pricey but it definitely did the job.

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    RobertS23posted 13 years ago

    Bottled Water isn't any more of a scam than canned food. It is just another form of packaged and processed food. The problem it has created, wasted plastic is also an opportunity in disguise.

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12. 88

    Stacie Lposted 13 years ago

    i am checking out water filtration systems.There are under the counter reverse osmosis filtering for the kitchen sink,whole house filters(too expensive for me),attached faucet filters and the pitcher filter.
    I would like to try the pitcher filter out first as they are the least expensive. Anyone have experience with these?

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       Maddie Ruudposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I've had a pitcher filter in my fridge from the day I moved out of my parents' house, shortly after I turned 18.  They work wonderfully, and ensure you've always got cold drinking water to boot!  Generally, you only have to change the filter once every few months, and they're very reasonably priced, so it's an economical way to go as well.

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          IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          LOL, I've got a hub about that!
          Seriously though, I use water filters all the time too. Our tap water is chemical-laden and full of minerals that come straight off the mountains. It tastes horrible but is 'safe' even if once a month you can actually taste the chlorine they add!
          The water filter pitcher has been a boon, and no more lugging heavy bottles of bottled water home.

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13. 67

    loseweightmamaposted 13 years ago

    From what I've read and seen there isn't that many regulations for water companies. In fact, some are just using tap water and calling it spring water which means you may be buying inferior water for you family. The documentary Flow is about the bottle water issue and it's pretty powerful.
    
    We are lucky to have a well with amazing tasting water. If we need to we use a filter and last resort is buying bottle water. When I do I go for a local spring water that I can trust. I find the other varieties in the store taste gross. For the most part, we try to stay away from bottle water for many reasons - environmental impact & pcbs.

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       psycheskinnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Anything you eat of drink is regulated fairly closely, although how often it is inspected is another matter.  Bottled water is safe.  It just isn't necessary.

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14. 92

    Rochelle Frankposted 13 years ago

    The amount of water being used is not the biggest problem.
    The production and disposal of those little plastic bottles is becoming a major issue because:
    1. Uses petroleum, and a lot of energy in the production and transportation of the bottles
    2. Chemicals may leach into water being consumed
    3. Bottles are not always recycled.
         Chemicals go into landfill
         Plastic trash 'islands' are being formed in the oceans
    4. There is too much recycled plastic to be used.
    
    Buy a filter pitcher. Get a reuseable water bottle.

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