Perception of tap water changing

PROVO, Utah -- It's cheap, it's less than lukewarm and available in abundance. However, rather than accessing their infinite supply of tap water, millions prefer to go out of their way to pay extra for the same chemical compound. \nUntil the increased popularity of bottled water, water never had a distinction. \nTap water drinkers never had a label until the rapidly increasing number of bottled water drinkers exploded about a decade ago. With the new trend of bottled water, for some, the perception of tap water has changed. \nMany people now mistakenly associate special health benefits with bottled water. \n"There is no health advantage being gained by these drinks, although the flavor can increase your intake," said Scott Montain, a physiologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass., as quoted in the Chicago Tribune. \nThe Natural Resources Defense council concluded after a four-year study that bottled water sold in the United States isn't cleaner or necessarily safer than tap water, although federal law requires it to be at least as safe. \nAnother key finding in the study is that bottled water regulations are inadequate to assure consumers of either purity or safety, although both the federal government and each state have bottled water safety programs. \nHowever, for tap water, Utah's Division of Drinking Water, implements rules to regulate the standards to which tap water is held. It is engaged in a variety of activities related to the design and operation of Utah's public drinking water systems. They are currently working on a new database system, which will post a list of water system ratings on its Web site, www.drinkingwater.utah.gov. \nEven though the regulations may be stricter on tap water, bottled water sales in the United States are second only to soft drink sales, as stated in a recent issue of the Chicago Tribune. \nHundreds of bottled water brands are sold in the United States. Some are imported from Fiji and Iceland, others are fruit flavored or vitamin-enriched, and yes, some water has enough caffeine added to stand against a cup of coffee.\nAccording to the Beverage Marketing Corp, Americans spent $10.1 billion to drink nearly 8 billion gallons of bottled water in 2005. That is 26 gallons per person. Bottled water drinkers also tend to pay more for water than for gasoline. \nChris Beckstrom, a BYU pre-accounting major, said he prefers bottled water, but doesn't like to pay extra for it so he drinks tap water. \n"If I have to pay for a drink, it might as well be soda," he said. \nLike Beckstrom, some people can't distinguish one brand of bottled water from another. However, Skye Friend, an open major student, can. She said she can decipher between brands and prefers to drink Dasani bottled water because of its taste and also because she doesn't worry about what is in it. \nEqually difficult to decipher is whether the bottled waters contain what they claim. www.ConsumerLab.com analyzed four brands of vitamin water and found that only one -- Propel Fitness Water -- provided the amounts listed on its label. Brian Moore, a Phoenix native, is concerned about water quality, but doesn't want to pay for the price of bottled water. He purchased a reverse osmosis system for $50. One $20 filter lasts about six months and cleanses 500 gallons of water, which he says is more cost effective than buying bottle after bottle.