We all have our favorite drinking water, whether it’s bottled or from the tap.
The New York Times did a story about Silicon Valley’s recent obsession with "raw water” and people paying as much as $60 for a few gallons of it.
Municipal water experts Waunda Barcus in St Petersburg and Chuck Weber in Tampa both recommend not drinking raw water.
Remember, just because water is clear doesn’t mean it’s safe to drink.
"With bottled water, sometimes it’s just city water that’s been bottled, sometimes it’s just spring water, raw water, and sometimes they label what treatment process they’ve used, if any.
But you really don’t know for sure," Weber said.
Bottled water is also regulated by the FDA, not the EPA.
According to Weber, the FDA has different regulations, doesn’t test as often and its criteria aren’t as strict as the EPA’s.
Experts also say don’t always trust what’s printed on the water’s label because labels are essentially advertising meant to grab your attention in an aisle filled with competition.
Instead, double check the label by researching the company online or calling to try and find where the water is sourced from and how it is treated, if at all.