Don’t assume water you buy or collect is safe.
What Is Bottled Spring Water?
Bottled spring water that you buy in the store is commonly referred to by several different names. These include well water, ground water, and artesian water. It’s defined by the EPA as water that originates from an underground aquifer. Spring water must come from protected, pure underground sources to carry this label.
According to the International Bottled Water Association, spring water that is bottled must come from an underground source. That source must have natural water flow to the earth’s surface. The water must be gathered from the spring or from something that taps into an underground formation. If a company wants to label their product as spring water, the collected water itself must carry all the same properties prior to treatment that the spring contains.
This means that bottled water may or may not undergo additional treatment before distribution. It’s important to realize that while spring water is required to meet basic EPA purity standards, there are fewer guarantees in place as to the quality of the water itself. It is also questionable if some ‘spring water’ actually comes from a Spring.
What this all means is that you really have no way of knowing if the spring water you buy in plastic bottles is safe. Not to mention the plastic leaching and waste.
What Is Raw Spring Water?
Some people are starting to collect their own spring water from supposedly ‘clean’ springs. You can find a number of these ‘hidden’ springs throughout NH. There is also a new trend of selling ‘raw’ spring water for a lot of money.
Clean and safe drinking water used to exist almost everywhere in nature. But sadly, this just isn’t the case anymore. Glacier water, for example, should not be consumed as it often contains small rock particles (talc), giardia and other parasites. It’s also unwise to consume spring water from mountains nearby polluted cities or industries as it will be polluted by rainwater, which can carry particulate from industrial activities.
Raw water from a well can be risky if you live anywhere near a populated or farming area. Unfortunately, humans have managed to pollute groundwater, rivers and lakes with pesticides, industrial waste and all kinds of other bad stuff.
Other issues include bacteria causing diarrhea that our bodies are no longer used to, and high levels of certain minerals that are unhealthy or contaminate water. In addition, there are many places in this region where naturally present contaminants such as arsenic or uranium exist at a level that poses risk.
Safe Drinking Water in New Hampshire
If you want to ensure that your drinking water is clean and safe, the only way to do so is to treat it. There are many drinking water systems on the market. At Secondwind, we carry three different drinking water systems. Schedule a free in-home site evaluation with Secondwind’s certified water specialists. We’ll help you identify the source of your water quality problems. Then we will suggest a drinking water treatment system that meets your needs and budget.
