Not automatically. Tap water and bottled water are both regulated, and either one can be a good choice or a poor one depending on the source and what is in it. Tap water is regulated by the EPA, bottled water by the FDA. The more useful question is what is in the water you actually drink.
Is Tap Water Safer Than Bottled Water?
- •Tap water: EPA sets legal limits for contaminants in public water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Utilities must test and publish an annual water quality report.
- •Bottled water: FDA regulates it as a packaged food and sets quality standards that must be at least as protective as EPA's standards for tap water.
- •Both can meet the legal limits and still differ in taste, minerals, and substances that have no limit yet.
Where Tap Water Can Fall Short
Public systems can meet federal standards and still deliver water that tastes of chlorine, picks up metals from older plumbing between the plant and your tap, or contains substances that EPA is still working on. The EPA's PFAS rule is a recent example of limits being added over time.
Where Bottled Water Can Fall Short
Bottled water costs far more per gallon than tap, generates plastic waste, and its source and treatment vary by brand. You usually have less information about it than the annual report your utility has to publish. Storage in heat can also affect taste.
What to Do
- •Read your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report
- •If you are on a private well, test it with a certified lab
- •Notice what you actually dislike: taste, smell, or concern about a specific contaminant
- •Test the water you actually drink, not just what the label or utility says
See the Difference Side by Side
Our free in-home water test measures your tap water, your bottled water, and whatever comes out of your fridge filter, side by side, so you can see how they really compare. The visit takes 45 minutes to an hour and the results are explained on the spot. Learn what to expect on our What to Expect page (/what-to-expect).
💡 Tip: If you are spending real money on bottled water each week, a drinking-water system like reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink can cost less per month. Financing starts as low as $9.99/month on select equipment with approved credit.
ℹ️ Did You Know? RainSoft of the Wiregrass is a locally owned, A+ BBB-rated business at 1112 Geneva Hwy in Enterprise, AL, serving 330+ cities across south Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and southwest Georgia since 2014. Call (334) 308-2782 to schedule a free water test.
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