Do You Purchase Bottled Water?

Store shelves are full of colorful and catchy labels on water bottles. Here is a key to decipher what they mean:

Artesian water: Type of well water collected without mechanical pumping. The well must tap a confined aquifer that has water standing much higher than the rock, gravel, or sand.

Distilled water: A type of purified water that has been evaporated to steam, then condensed again to remove minerals.

Drinking water: Bottled water from an approved source. It must meet state and federal standards and go through mineral filtration and disinfection. It has no added ingredients, except maybe antimicrobial agents or fluoride.

Mineral water: Water with minerals no less than 250 parts per million of total dissolved solids, or minerals. These minerals must be naturally present, not added.

Sparkling water: Water with a fizz. Either carbon dioxide is added, or water is naturally carbonated.