(Much of the information contained in this section has been taken from www.choice.com.au. CHOICE is fiercely independent organisation who do not receive ongoing funding from any commercial organisation.)

bottled water

Australians spend around $385 million a year on bottled water, and vast amounts of greenhouse gases are generated in the production, transportation and refrigeration processes.

Most water bottles end up in landfill or as litter — only 35 percent get recycled. This is largely because most people tend to consume bottled water away from home, where there are no recycling facilities.

What's more, with the rising number of people opting to drink bottled water — which is fluoride-free — over tap water, there are concerns it could affect dental health, particularly among children.

Bottled water isn’t as natural as many labels, with their mountain springs, would suggest. Many companies treat it to deal with any lurking bacteria, viruses and so on. One popular method is ozonation, but there’s a catch: it can leave traces of bromate. And too much bromate is definitely not a good thing. According to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), its many reversible effects include nausea, diarrhoea and central nervous system depression.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, irreversible effects can include kidney failure and deafness. And, bromate is a suspected carcinogen.

For most of us, there’s no good reason to believe bottled water’s any healthier than tap water...

tap water

Tap water is required to comply with Australian Drinking Water Guidelines ...

Water authorities use settling, coagulation, filtering and disinfecting (chlorine in most cases) to ensure the safety of our drinking water, using sufficient disinfectant to stop the re-growth of micro-organisms as the water travels through the pipe system to your home (many pipes are iron, decades old and rusting).

The downside of ensuring safe drinking water is the lingering taste and smell of disinfectant... (Good minerals are also often stripped out of the water during the processing .)

When you turn on your tap, you should see clear, un-cloudy water…

…if your water looks, smells or tastes strange, or if your clothing and plumbing (such as sinks and toilets) become stained by it you could have any number of problems… caused by any number of contaminates …

If you’re not connected to town water, but use rain or bore water, it’s important to protect your supply from contamination — particularly with bore water — and inspect it regularly.

For example, an animal carcass close to your bore can be a serious health threat, and herbicides or fertilisers may over time leach into your water supply. A dirty roof, peeling paint or bird droppings can affect the quality of collected rain water.