A Harrison County seventh-grader sought to get to the bottom of that question as part of his science fair project.
To start, Gavin offered a hypothesis: “If I test eight drinking water samples from various locations, then it will prove that bottled water would be the safest to drink over tap water.” He then tested for contaminants and metals.
Next, he separated his findings by tap water location and bottled water brand.
Study findings Surprisingly, Gavin found that within his sample set, it was actually safer to drink tap water over bottled water.
While neither his bottled water nor tap water samples are considered unsafe to drink, he learned that the pH levels in the bottled water he tested was lower than any of the tap water samples he looked at.
Bacteria are more likely to grow and spread in water with a lower pH level.
My science teacher (Patty Brooks) was surprised.” Harrison County Water Systems Manager David Perkins said he also found the results surprising.
“But based on the pH levels alone, his conclusion is a safe one to draw between the two.” Gavin wrote: “I can conclude after the tests, that bottled water is not the safest.
The product is often advertised as “pure” or the result of a “rigorous purification system,” leaving many to conclude the water is of a better quality than tap water.
Upon research, Gavin proved that’s not always the case.