By the time a glass of water pours out a New York City faucet, it has traveled over 100 miles using only the force of gravity - a clean and perfect fuel. Except for high-rises that require pumps to bring water up to rooftop tanks, no machinery drives the flow of water from the earth to our kitchen sink. The entire process is steered by the natural equilibrium of water rising to 295 feet above sea level through our very faucets - matching the elevation of Hillview Reservoir in the mountains of the Catskill/Delaware watershed, where 90 percent of NYC water comes from.

Depending on its origin, bottled water is brought to NY by the burning of carbon-based fuel - whether by truck, boat, or plane. The transport of bottled water to retail outlets consumes significant non-renewable energy, adding to the cost of petroleum used to create non-degradable plastics: 15 billion bottles of water were sold in 2002. The top-selling bottled waters in the U.S. are: Aquafina (PepsiCo), Dasani (Coca-Cola), Poland Spring (Nestlé), Arrowhead (Nestlé) and Deer Park (Nestlé). Prices of imported water are up to ten thousand times higher per gallon than tap water.

So is bottled water healthier than tap water? The FDA sets regulations for bottled water, the EPA oversees public drinking water. NYC reservoirs must disinfect and filter water to remove pathogens and have a strictly protected source. Bottled water companies have no such requirements. NYC must test for Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Viruses. E. Coli and Fecal Coliform are banned outright. Not for bottled water. In fact, while NYC must use certified labs to do testing, must report violations to the state and make such information available to the consumer, bottled water companies are under no obligation and may keep violations secret.

For more information, visit the comprehensive four-year study of the bottled water industry by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Also, check Plastic Bottles Pile Up as Mountains of Waste by MSNBC, or the incredible website of Nestlé Waters (owners of Arrowhead, Deer Park, Poland Spring, Perrier, S. Pellegrino and many more).