Many of us drink bottled water on a regular basis. However, although it is convenient and much healthier than soda, bottled water is more expensive, more harmful to the environment and no safer than Palo Alto’s tap water. Still, in 2004, Americans drank almost 49 billion bottles of water and spent more than seven billion dollars on it.

Bottled water is not necessarily safer than tap water, at least in Palo Alto. The Palo Alto Utilities website states that in 2004, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission conducted over 137,000 tests to assure the safety of our drinking water. In addition, Palo Alto itself conducted thousands of quality tests which closely monitored the pH, temperature, chlorine and chloramine residue, conductivity, color and cloudiness of the water. Bottled water may be safer than tap water in some parts of the country, but not in Palo Alto.

In fact, about 40 percent of bottled water is tap water that has been “purified” at processing plants. If people are concerned about the quality of their water, they should buy water filters to attach to their faucets at home rather than wasting money on pre-filtered water.

Both Aquafina and Dasani, the two leading brands of bottled water in the United States, are just expensive tap water with fancy words on the labels. Aquafina is tap water which is filtered at plants in the United States and Canada. Dasani is a self-proclaimed “purified water enhanced with minerals.” In fact, according to Reuters, anything that doesn’t say “source” or “spring” on the label is simply tap water.

Bottled water is also destroying our environment. Transporting bottled water thousands of miles wastes exorbitant amounts of fuel. Crystal Geyser water can come from as far away as New Hampshire, while Fiji water comes from islands all the way in the South Pacific. The use of plastic also causes environmental harm, being a petroleum product. Even recycling plastic bottles requires a great deal of energy.

Considering all the negative aspects of drinking bottled water, students should look into alternatives. There are many reusable bottles on the market and are available at a variety of venues. These bottles are much more durable and attractive than disposable water bottles. Furthermore, you only pay for the bottle once. If you are concerned about the quality of tap water, you can buy a filter and purify your water before filling up the bottle.

Let’s face it: bottled water is merely tap water masquerading in a fancy bottle. There is absolutely no need to waste our resources to fund the manufacture of these environmentally unsound products. Please, think next time you take a sip—bottled water it not so hip.