Most bottled waters provide quality drinking water, although very expensive per gallon; however, many bottled water companies serve their customers public tap water or even unsafe water.

According to the State of Massachusetts Senate Report: Money Down the Drain? A Review of Bottled Water in Massachusetts”

“Aquafina, a leading brand of bottled water produced by PepsiCo, Inc. has a label that prominently features a sketch of a mountain range. However, contrary to Massachusetts state regulations, the label does not reveal that the source of the water is in fact the Town of Ayer's public water supply. The only way a consumer would know that the water is from a municipal water supply is by interpreting the letters "PWS" on the bottle cap, an industry term for "public water supply.

“PepsiCo pays the Town of Ayer the same price that local residents pay for their water, 90 cents for every 750 gallons. This translates to approximately two one-hundredths of a cent for a 20 oz. bottle of Aquafina that sells in the store for approximately one dollar, 5000 times the actual cost of the water. PepsiCo uses about 300,000 gallons of water per day to produce Aquafina, fully one-third of the town's overall usage. PepsiCo faces no restrictions on the amount of water it can draw, while Ayer residents are restricted in their outdoor water usages.”

From the same report the study sited—“In 1996, after consumer complaints about taste, Poland Springs recalled some of its bottled water products from Massachusetts store shelves because of high chlorine levels.”

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a major non-profit environmental and public interest group, conducted a four year study on bottled water and published its findings and recommendations in February 1999. The report concluded several significant findings:

 Bottled water is not necessarily of any better quality than municipal tap water and not necessarily the healthier or wiser choice.

 Federal regulations governing bottled water are weak.

 State regulations for bottled water are weak and generally go unenforced.

 Bottled water oversight on both national and state levels is poorly staffed and under-funded, and does not support effective regulation of bottled water. For instance, the FDA leaves enforcement to "ill-equipped and understaffed" state governments.

 Voluntary bottled water industry controls, though commendable, are not sufficient substitutes for effective government rules and programs.

 Bottled water marketing and labeling can be misleading.

 The long-term solution to drinking water problems is not to switch to bottled water but to improve tap water.

Perhaps you should think twice before paying up a lot of money for questionable bottled water. The easiest and most effective way to improve tap water is filter it just before you drink it.