Are bottled and vended water regulated the same as tap water?
No. The regulations for tap water are different from those for bottled water mainly because their sources are different. Source waters for producing public drinking water include lakes, rivers, and wells, while bottled water must be produced only from already approved sources (e.g., public drinking water or a licensed private water source). The key purpose of treatments for tap water is to make the water safe. Accordingly, the regulations for tap water are to meet that purpose. On the other hand, a water bottling plant, a water vending machine, or a retail water facility treats approved water to improve its quality (mainly clarity, flavor, and taste) by treatment with filtration processes (such as activated carbon, reverse osmosis, micro-filtration) and disinfection (such as ozone, ultraviolet light). Since the source water, purpose, and the types of equipment used for tap water are different from those for bottled water and vended water, comparing the regulations for the two different
