Bottled Water doesn't always mean treated water. You're not necessarily getting an enhanced product and the label doesn't tell you when the water was treated or what the source water was. It's estimated that that one-fourth of all bottled water comes straight from the tap, according to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA).

This discovery comes at a time when bottled water is the fastest growing beverage category in the United States. It is a $22 billion category, growing at an annual rate of 10 percent.

The two governmental agencies responsible for monitoring water quality have different standards and testing procedures. EPA standards require municipal water districts to test for over 90 different contaminates in tap water. The FDA monitors the bottled water industry, which ironically has no higher standards than the EPA has for tap water. There is no guarantee that bottled water is better than ordinary tap water.
 

UV + Filtration is a 3-stage process that utilizes the unique features of Ultraviolet Light and two types of Carbon Filtration. Water first enters a 1-Micron Carbon Block Filter where particulate matter greater than 1 micron, or .00004 inches in diameter, is trapped and removed from the water. This filter reduces microbiological contaminants such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia Cysts. Water then enters the second filter, a Granular Activated Carbon Filter, which improves taste and odor and reduces volatile organic contaminants (VOCs).

The last, and most important step in reducing microbiological contaminants is Ultraviolet Light. At proper exposure levels, UV Light is proven to be effective in destroying potentially harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites. UV Light works by damaging and disrupting the DNA part of the cell, preventing its ability to replicate and reproduce. This helps to prevent the formation of colony forming units (cfu) of pathogenic microorganisms in water.

Ultraviolet Light is a natural way of disinfecting water, versus the use of chlorine or other chemical additives.

Also see Why Drink UV Water.
 

Carbon Filtration traps, absorbs or modifies contaminants, including some biological and most organic contaminates. Filters don't catch all viruses or radioactive pollutants.

One of the limitations of filtration systems is that the organisms we are concerned about are getting smaller and smaller. Microsporidium is a classic example of that. Microsporidium is a tiny parasite that measures one to three microns in diameter. Because of its size, it may be hard to capture and has greater penetration through water filters.
 

Reverse Osmosis does reduce inorganic contaminants and some radioactive materials, but viruses can remain in the water after reverse osmosis processing. Reverse osmosis uses three to ten gallons of water to produce one gallon of drinking water.

In areas of the country where water is a scarce resource, reverse osmosis creates unnecessary waste by using more water in the treatment process than it eventually will produce. Reverse osmosis membranes require constant monitoring and frequent replacement.
 

Ultra Violet Light kills most biological contaminants and inactivates viruses and bacteria. When not used in combination with other technologies it is ineffective against organic and inorganic contaminants and does not inactivate Giardia cysts.

Used alone, UV light does not improve taste and odor and the light must be in contact with the water for a specified length of time for this method to be effective.
 

Ozonation is an emerging treatment technology. Ozone generators produce small quantities of ozone gas, which is a strong oxidizing agent that is effective in killing bacteria with brief exposure time. Ozone gas also oxidizes organic matter, iron, and manganese. One advantage is that ozone does not form trihalomethanes, a chlorine disinfection byproduct and produces no taste or odor as does chlorine.

One of the potential issues with this technology is that as a gas, ozone is unstable and has a short life. It must be generated at point of use, since it is short lived. There is no simple test to determine if an ozone system is effective. Currently, there is no NSF standard for ozone.