Spring Water Vs. Purified Water

When purchasing bottled water, we often come across bottles of water which have 'spring water' written on their labels. Whether these bottles really contain pure water from the springs can be a subject of debate as many manufacturers market purified water in the guise. Not many people give it a thought, but understanding the difference between spring water and purified water can be of great help. Basically, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has laid some guidelines for classification of different types of bottled water, and as per this classification, these two bottled water types differ from each other.

Natural Spring Water

Spring water is water which flows naturally to the surface from some protected underground source on the Earth. Only that water which is collected pure from the source qualifies to be marketed as spring water. Even the U.S. FDA guidelines clearly state that spring water can only be collected from the site of spring. It can either be collected directly from the spring, or by tapping the underground source by means of a bore-hole. Even though it is collected from the surface, this water should retain the taste, qualities and physical properties that it had when it came to the surface. As per the FDA guidelines only this water can be labeled as 'spring water' when marketing or selling it.

Purified Water

Purified water, on the other hand, is water which is subjected to some physical purification process to make it safe for drinking by getting rid of the bacteria in it. As in case of spring water, the source of water in not given importance here. Even the water that is collected from municipal tap, but subjected to some purification process before being bottled can be marketed as purified water. The different methods used to purify water are distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis, etc. Even though this water is mostly labeled as 'purified drinking water', at times it is also labeled with reference to the process by which it is purified - 'distilled water' is one of the best examples of the same.

Natural Spring Water Vs. Purified Water

The differences between these two start right from their point of origin. While true spring water has to be directly collected from a spring, purified water can be from any source - including a river, stream or a spring. While the origin is given utmost importance in case of spring water, it is the treatment of water which is considered to be more important when it comes to purified water. As far as safety is concerned, both are safe as it is mandatory for the manufacturers to stick to certain guidelines laid by the FDA.

That being said, the brand name does come into picture here as the chances of companies resorting to unprotected springs (in case of spring water) and cheap purification techniques (in case of purified water) cannot be ruled out. If you compare the two for their health benefits, you would realize that the latter is more beneficial owing to its mineral content. In terms of cost, spring water is a bit more costly than purified water, and that explains why the latter is more popular when it comes to sale.

At the end of the day, whether to choose spring water or purified water entirely depends on the person's taste, safety of water and the cost of the bottle. While some people are comfortable with the fact that spring water is healthy, others prefer the taste of purified water. There also exist people who can't differentiate between two, but instead go by whatever they read on the label.