tap water vs bottled water

Myth: Bottled water is better than tap water

'Global bottled water sales have skyrocketed over the past several decades thanks to the misguided belief that 'spring water' is healthier or cleaner than the water that comes out of your tap. Bottled water is generally not worse or better than tap water because over 50 percent of it is just tap water. Plus the EPA publishes detailed data about water quality, while most bottled water companies won't tell you anything.' —Morton Tavel, MD, clinical professor emeritus of medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine

That is what the experts say.  From my own experience:  I once filled bottles with tap water and placed in my refrigerator so I could have a cold bottle of water whenever I wanted one.  Using tap water only, I learned that I had to be careful to rotate the bottles.  If one was in the refrigerator for more than three days it began to have an "off" taste.  After a week it was almost undrinkable.  We purchased a water filter and now it doesn't seem to matter how long a bottle of water remains in the refrigerator.  It isn't uncommon for me to leave a bottle for a month before drinking it and it tastes just as clean and fresh as the day I bottled it. 

  I have not uncapped store bought water and left it in the refrigerator for an extended period of time to compare but my conclusion is this:  tap water is water treated with chemicals to kill undesirable stuff in the water and the filter is there to remove any impurities that the chemicals left behind thereby giving me a clean healthy bottle of water.  It doesn't matter if the water is stream or spring or city tap water as long as it has been properly filtered.   The debunked myth is not a myth at all.  Bottled water that is properly filtered is better than water straight from the tap.