A Battle Against the Bottles: Building, Claiming, and Regaining Tap-Water Trustworthiness

Parag, Yael, Timmons J. Roberts. “ A Battle Against the Bottles: Building, Claiming, and Regaining Tap-Water Trustworthiness,” Society and Natural Resources 22, no. 7 (2009): 625-636. http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.mnsu.edu. (Accessed February 10th, 2011).

This article’s primary focus was on the environmental effect that bottled water has on the environment, and the fact that residents of the United States have grown distrustful of tap water in part because of the bottled water industry’s advertising campaigns. This article mainly explores how the government can regain the public’s trust in tap water. The article argues that “water providers and the state do not confront this message, do not soundly claim their trustworthiness, and do not attempt to publicly and visibly back and support tap water as good and healthy” (Parag 626) . Because of this, the article claims, the message that bottled water is more healthy for a person is allowed to grow rampant, without rebuttals from the government. That the bottled water industry continues to grow despite that most developed countries water is perfectly healthy leads Parag and Roberts to compare this with Andrew Szasz’s concept of “inverted quarantine”, “wherein people attempt to isolate themselves from a [perceived] dangerous environment around them” (Parag 626). Also discussed is that because bottled water does not compete with providers over consumers (i.e. waste, and any water used for something other than consumption) there is not a strong incentive for tap water providers to start pushing the value of tap water for consumption.

Parag and Roberts argue that tap water trust can be restored by creating public awareness, revising the setting of tap water standards and policies and actively enforcing these standards and policies. Also discussed is that water providers should start to be more open about their purifying methods in order to restore public trust. According to this article, most water companies employ perfectly acceptable methods and have perfectly acceptable water for consumption, but the companies lack public relations skills, creating a barrier between citizens and the water companies, and facilitating a lack of trust of the water companies due to lack of information. Parag and Roberts suggest that bottled water contain labels that explain the detrimental effect the plastic bottles have on the environment compared to tap water. In addition to this they suggest that every bottle of water sold should contribute a small amount to treating bottled water waste, as opposed to making those who do not drink bottled water pay for the process through taxes. I feel that Parag and Roberts present some excellent points here, and I fully intend on using this source as a reference for my research project, especially their ideas on how to employ methods to restore trustworthiness between the public water distributor and the consumer.

Water Wise

Hennen, Leah. “Water Wise,” Real Simple 7, no. 3 (2006): 147-152.
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.mnsu.edu. (Accessed February 10th, 2011).

This article is in question-answer format, which makes it easy to navigate. Unlike some of the articles I have found it does not appear to be a huge proponent of tap water, although it does discuss that the US has some of the cleanest water in the world. It suggests that if one does drink bottled water that they drink a brand belonging to the International Bottled Water Association, as they have stricter standards about the water that they provide to consumers. This article focuses mainly on water in general and answers questions such as whether water can go bad, and how much is really needed per day. Under the section header “Is it safe?” Hennen reports that “9 out of 10 public water systems meet federal health and safety standards, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)” (Hennen 1). Hennen also reports that, according to Steven Patch, Ph.D., an authority of drinking water safety at the University of North Carolina, it is suggested that “you read the water-quality report that your utility is required by law to release each year. [As] large providers are also required to post their reports online” (Hennen 1). This also offers a section which explains the differences between what can be labeled mineral water, purified water, spring water, etc., which I expect that I will use. The list is as follows:

• Artesian water: From a welt that's fed by an underground aquifer. Examples: Fiji Natural Artesian Water, Voss Artesian Water.
• Enhanced water: Fortified with vitamins, minerals, and herbal ingredients, as well as added flavor. Example: Glacéau Vitaminwater.
• Fitness water: With added electrolytes and flavoring or sugar. Some contain caffeine or herbal stimulants, such as taurine and guarana. Example: Hansen's E20 Energy Water.
• Mineral water: From an underground source that contains naturally occurring dissolved solids, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Example: Calistoga Sparkling Mineral Water.
• Purified water: Usually tap water that has been treated to remove contaminants. Example: Sam's Choice Purified Drinking Water.
• Sparkling water: With natural or artificial effervescence. Examples: Pure LaCroix Sparkling Water, Schweppes Club Soda.
• Spring water: From an underground source that flows to the earth's surface naturally. Examples: Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water, Evian Natural Spring Water.

In general, a lot of the information presented in this source will not be applicable to my research project, except of course the aforementioned tidbits. However, it is very beneficial to have the bottled water “guide” if you will! There are also some other quotes concerning FDA tap water regulations that I expect I will use during the scope of my project.

Return to the Tap

Selby, Amy. “Return to the Tap,” Todays Chiropractic Lifestyle 39, no. 4 (2010): 26-29. http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.mnsu.edu. (Accessed February 8th, 2011).

This article discusses that the main difference between tap and bottled water is in the packaging, and that when buying bottled water you are mainly paying for the plastic bottle, not for the contents. The author also discusses the use of a filter in drinking tap water, which is much more economical than buying bottle after bottle, not to mention more environmentally friendly. A filter, according to this article, is mainly useful for taste only, however taste is one of the biggest reasons people buy bottled water. (Although, interestingly enough, this article also mentions that most people cannot tell the difference between tap and bottled water in blind taste tests.) Selby notes that bottled water is not even held to the same, stringent standards that tap water is held to by the FDA. According to Selby, ”Bottlers aren’t required to list the water's source on the bottle. For tap water, it's a different story. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, local water systems are required to issue water quality reports and conduct a Contaminants of Emerging Concern List review” (Selby 28). Another interesting portion of this article is the mention of a study conducted in which subjects were given tap water in fancy bottles, and asked to share their thoughts about the taste. “When asked to share their thoughts diners cited that the bottled water "had no aftertaste" and they even expressed that the water tasted "glacial," after being told one bottle was sourced from a glacier” (Selby 28). This particular study, though very unscientific, is something I may certainly use in my research paper as it illustrates that the draw of bottled water isn’t necessarily for taste at all. One can only assume that the draw, then, would have to be status. Another interesting statistic that is mentioned in this article is that "It takes three to four liters of water to produce a bottle that holds one liter of water” (Selby 29), this statistic illustrates just how wasteful bottled water is, not to mention that the energy that goes into the process is estimated to be, according to Gleick, author of “Bottled and Sold” (2010), it is estimated that the energy that goes into bottling water “is the equivalent to 17 million barrels of oil in the U.S. for the 8 billion gallons of bottled water we drink every year." This is not even to mention that once you are finished with that liter of water, there are detrimental environmental factors to deal with! This source offers a lot of compelling evidence about the negative aspects of drinking bottled water that will be beneficial to my research project. I also have the benefit of learning about Gleick’s book, which I will definitely want to find at a library somewhere, as it probably contains a veritable wealth of information concerning the scope of my research project.