Bottled Spring Water vs. Filtered Tap Water: Which Is Better?

Drinking enough water is essential to your well-being. With that being said, there are so many different types of water on the market, so it can become slightly overwhelming to know which is the best option for you. People often wonder which is healthier and safer, bottled spring water or filtered tap water.

Thankfully, you don't have to worry. We have summarized what you need to know about each one in this article.

Differences Between Bottled Spring Water and Filtered Tap Water

Spring water is a favored form of bottled water. Spring water comes from groundwater, which exists underground in aquifers that sit below the earth’s natural water table. Spring water collects at the opening of a spring when water naturally flows along the earth’s surface, and is considered pre-purified because it travels through natural filters.

Filtered tap water has been mechanically processed or filtered to remove impurities like viruses, bacteria, lead, copper, and chemical pollutants like trihalomethanes. However, there are still essential minerals in tap water.

Benefits of Bottled Spring Water

The primary benefit of bottled spring water is its high essential mineral content and the fact that it undergoes natural filtration, unlike other types of water that need mechanical or chemical filtration. Spring water is naturally purified as it flows through underground rocks, clay, and limestone. This also gives the water its high mineral content, leaving it enriched and purified free of toxins and chemicals. The minerals in spring water are in ionic form, which means they are more easily absorbed into the body—more than minerals in food, supplements, and those added to other bottled water.

Spring water contains the highest level of minerals compared to any other type of water. Additionally, the high mineral content enhances the water’s taste, providing a refreshing drinking experience.

If the bottled spring water is obtained directly from the aquifer, it is pure and free of toxins, bacteria, heavy metals, and added chemicals like fluoride that are used to treat tap water.

Benefits of Filtered Tap Water

There are many benefits to filtering your tap water. Filtering tap water removes potentially harmful bacteria, viruses, impurities, and contaminants like chlorine, heavy metals, and disinfection byproducts. At the same time, water filters still ensure that important minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and zinc are retained. Filtered tap water also tastes and smells better due to the impurities being removed.

On an environmental level, filtering your tap water is much more eco-friendly due to the production of plastic for bottled water. Bottled water is a big source of pollution—it also uses three times as much water to produce the plastic bottle as it does to fill it. Using a water filter to purify your tap water at home will help the environment.

Using a water filter is also more cost-effective than buying bottled water. The once-off cost of purchasing a water filter will end up saving you lots of money in the long run.

So... Which Is Better?

On a health level, natural bottled spring water is the best option due to its rich mineral content that is highly absorbed by the body. However, that is not to say that filtered tap water is unhealthy. Filtered tap water is still very beneficial because it does not contain any potentially harmful contaminants and still provides you with essential minerals.

On an environmental and cost-effective level, filtered tap water is the better option. Filtering your tap water means less spent on bottled water and fewer bottles in landfills or the ocean. It is also important to remember that many bottled water companies do not disclose the source of their water, so you cannot always be 100 percent sure you are drinking natural, pure spring water.

However, at the end of the day, both bottled spring water and filtered tap water are safe and beneficial, so the choice depends entirely on personal preference and what’s more convenient and accessible to you.