Water is vital for all life on earth.
It is why we look for other planets that could possibly support life, and we look for the presence of water.
Water makes up about 70 percent of our cells, and without it, we can die in as little as three days, which is why we need to stay hydrated at all times.
Today for most of us living in developed countries, we have water at our disposal.
We have drinking water in the form of tap water in our homes as well as bottled water in stores.
The bottled water we find in stores comes in numerous varieties, from spring water and carbonated water to purified water.
With so many choices at your fingertips, you can begin to wonder about the differences between bottled waters such as spring water vs. purified water.
It can be easy to think that there is no difference between purified water vs. spring water but rest assured, there are differentiating factors.
What Is The Difference Between Purified And Spring Water?
When you look at bottled water in stores, you will find that many of them are labeled as purified water.
This drinking water is labeled this way because there is a difference between purified water vs. spring water instead of just a marketing tactic.
In order for bottled water to bed classified as purified bottled water, it needs to follow strict rules set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
For your drinking water to be classified as purified water, the impurity levels in the water need to be less than ten parts per million (ppm); this is the measurement value used to determine the amount of substance in a liquid. Keeping this in mind, you can not call tap water purified water.
The other common form of water you will find that is fit for drinking is bottled spring water.
When you hear spring water, it is easy to imagine flowing springs that have naturally filtered water; this is water in its most natural form.
Springwater may have a higher value of parts per million, but the natural minerals that cause this rise are what give this water its taste.
Like purified water, there are standards set in place to ensure that water is actually capable of being called spring water.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that for water to be categorized as springwater, it must be sourced from an underground aquifer.
These aquifers provide the natural filtration process that gives high-quality spring water its distinctive taste.
An aquifer is an underground source for this purest water form.
This is why you can find spring water under different names like artesian water or well water.
The water from these sources gives water a refreshing taste.
Additionally, this underground water is completely safe for human consumption in its natural form without the need for additional purification methods.
What Makes Mineral Water Different From Spring Water?
It can be easy to confuse these two types of water as both these water types contain dissolved solids in the form of dissolved minerals.
Both these types of water are not pure water as they contain a number of essential minerals as well as other minerals.
The difference between spring water/ well water and mineral water lies in the mineral content.
While spring water contains essential minerals, the same is not always true for mineral water.
Mineral water is essentially spring water with added minerals.
These can be added to the water in a bottling facility and are what alter the taste of the water.
Additionally, the mineral content in this water is 250 minerals per million solids, much higher than in spring water.
The choice between these two comes down to your personal preference regarding the taste of the water.
How Is Spring Water Made?
Most of the spring water that we see on shelves today has been processed in some form.
However, it does not go through a purification process, causing it to have contaminants similar to regular tap water.
To ensure that spring water reaches its destination, it needs to be treated with the gas ozone or with chlorine.
This is the only way to ensure that the water from the natural springs does not spoil during transport.
Once at its destination, the chlorine is removed through a carbon filtration process.
However, unlike purified water, spring water does not go through a purification process, which allows essential minerals to remain in the water.
The minerals in this freshwater provide you with different health benefits.
This also allows other impurities and contaminants to remain in the water.
The spring water you find in stores has gone through a filtration system, and this is done for the sole purpose of meeting FDA standards.
This filtration in no way affects the mineral levels in this naturally filtered water.
Benefits Of Spring Water
When it comes to great-tasting water, there is nothing like spring water.
Not only is this water purified naturally, but it also contains natural minerals which prove beneficial for your overall health.
Compared to drinking regular tap water, this water is sweeter and fresher to drink.
Springwater, which is better than tap water, can be used to make other beverages taste cleaner and sweeter.
How Is Purified Water Made?
To achieve purified water, you need to remove contaminants from your water supply.
There are multiple purification systems you can use to remove impurities and other contaminants from your drinking water.
However, while you purify the water, you can lose minerals from the water.
For context, purified water contains less than ten ppm of solids, including impurities, while tap water has almost 250 ppm of solids, including impurities and chemical pollutants.
Water purification involves numerous steps to achieve the status of purified drinking water.
These steps involve filtration, disinfection, and sedimentation.
The first step in achieving purified water is thorough coagulation and flocculation.
This water purification involves collecting all the debris in the water together and adding positively charged particles into the water.
Then through sedimentation, all the particles settle to the bottom, the water on top remains clear on top.
The next step to achieve purified water is filtration.
The filters used include carbon, gravel, and charcoal filters; the water passes through these filters to become filtered water.
The final step in achieving purified water is through the use of disinfection.
The chemicals used in the filtered water can be chloramine or chlorine; these are used due to their ability to kill harmful bacteria and microbes, which can lead to health issues.
The chlorine levels used are tightly regulated to ensure people can drink the filtered water.
These are the standards steps that are used in water purification. These are the steps that different spring water vs. purified water.
There are other procedures that are used to purify water.
Deionization is one way in which one can achieve purified water.
The minerals that are dissolved in water are in salt form.
Bypassing water through ion exchange, the minerals salts are replaced with hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen molecules.
Water purified through this method is safe to drink.
Some people use reverse osmosis as a way to clean their water.
The way this is done is by bypassing water through membranes under high pressure. Reverse osmosis removes harmful substances and chemicals.
The water then becomes safe to drink.
Distilled water is another form of pure water.
This water is turned into steam through extreme heating. This newly formed steam is then collected minus any impurities and is reformed as water.
This distilled water is completely pure and ready to drink.
Another method to achieve purified water is through ozonation.
This process is a form of disinfection, which kills microbes and bacteria that can cause people to become sick.
This process uses the addition of ozone gas into the water; this disinfectant the water in place of chlorine or chloramine.
This is a preferred method as ozone does not affect the taste of the water, unlike chlorine or chloramine.
Benefits of Purified Water
As the name suggests, purified water is 100 percent clean and pure.
This is free of harmful microbes, chemicals, and bacteria and free from minerals, which affect the flavor of the water.
The lack of harmful substances in the water reduces the chances of you catching a water-borne disease and leading to ill-health.
Spring Water VS Purified Water: Which Is Better To Drink?
The choice of these two depends on what you are looking for in your water.
Both spring water and purified water are fit for consumption.
The choice between spring water and purified water boils down to your need.
Are you looking for water that is clean and free from harmful substances or water that has beneficial minerals and has a sweet flavor?
Both of these waters are a great and safe choice for all your hydration needs.
Conclusion
There is no clear winner between these two water options.
Both are incredibly common and have their own advantages.
To make a choice between these two, you need to know exactly what you want, flavor and minerals, or neutral flavor and no pathogens.