Drinking water
pH
Minerals
Types to avoid
Recommendation
Bottom line Every day, you consume lots of water from foods, beverages like coffee or tea, and pure water. As such, it’s only natural to be curious about the quality and safety of your water sources.
All drinking water in the United States is tightly regulated. For the most part, it’s completely safe. Meanwhile, other sources of water may be unsafe to drink
This article reviews the different types of drinking water, things to consider regarding water quality and safety, and the best types of water to drink.k.
Types of drinking water
Here are some of the most common types of drinking water (1Trusted Source):
Tap. This is the water you get from your taps at home. It may come from a municipal water source or a privately owned well.
Mineral. Mineral water comes from underground sources. It naturally contains at least 250 parts per million of minerals from dissolved solids.
Spring. Spring water is water from an underground source that rises naturally to the surface, like a spring. It must be bottled at the source.
Distilled. Distilled water has had its minerals removed. This happens through a distillation process where the water is vaporized and then condensed back into liquid form.
Purified water. Purified water is water that’s been treated by reverse osmosis, absolute one-micron filtration, zonation, or distillation.
Most tap water undergoes purification processes like distillation or reverse osmosis. Meanwhile, some bottled waters may simply be unprocessed tap water. Just because water is bottled doesn’t necessarily mean it is mineral or spring water (1Trusted Source).
In some countries, like Australia, rural areas may depend on rainwater as a primary water source. As long as the water is tested regularly for safety, rainwater is also safe to use and drink.
Are certain types of water healthier than others?
Most drinking water in the United States is safe.
Drinking water standards are tightly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (2Trusted Source).
While there may be slight differences in the taste and mineral content of different types of water, for the most part, they’re equally healthy.
Downsides of certain types of water
There can be downsides to certain types of water.
All water, regardless of whether it’s bottled or from the tap, carries a risk of becoming contaminated at the source. The contaminants can be either harmless or potentially harmful pathogens like E. coli, which can cause severe gastrointestinal illness (3Trusted Source).
If your tap water comes from a municipal water source, it’s likely monitored and regularly tested for the presence of pathogens. However, if your tap water comes from a private well, you may need to hire an agency to regularly conduct a quality test (3Trusted Source).
Contaminated bottled water will be subject to recalls from the FDA.
A downside to consider relating to bottled water is the generation of large amounts of single-use plastic waste. Oftentimes, it’s unnecessary if you have access to safe tap water.
Lastly, bottled water generally also comes at a higher price point than tap water.
Thus, if you live somewhere with safe tap water, opting to drink this instead of bottled water can cut down both your expenses and how much plastic waste you generate.
SUMMARY
There are several different types of drinking water, but all are essentially equally healthy. All drinking water carries some risk of becoming contaminated. Bottled water produces single-use plastic waste and may be more expensive.
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