Tap

Bottled

Water quality follows State and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.

Bottled water is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

FDA's rules completely exempt 60-70 percent of the bottled water sold in the United States from the agency's bottled water standards, because the FDA says its rules do not apply to water packaged and sold within the same state. Nearly 40 states say they do regulate such waters (generally with few or no resources dedicated to policing this); therefore, about one out of five states do not.

City tap water can have no confirmed E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria (bacteria that are indications of possible contamination by fecal matter).

FDA bottled water rules include no such prohibition (a certain amount of any type of coliform bacteria is allowed in bottled water) or E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria.

City tap water from surface water must be filtered and disinfected (or the water system must adopt well-defined protective measures for the source water it uses, such as control of potentially polluting activities that may affect the stream involved).

There is no federal filtration or disinfection requirements for bottled water -- the only source-water protection, filtration, or disinfection provisions for bottled water are completely delegated to state discretion, and many states have adopted no such meaningful programs.

Big-city tap water must be tested 100 or more times a month.

Bottled water plants must test for coliform bacteria just once a week

Repeated high levels of bacteria (i.e., "heterotrophic-plate-count" bacteria) in tap water combined with a lack of disinfectant can trigger a violation for cities.

TheFDA does not have any regulation on repeated high levels of bacteria.

Most cities using surface water have had to test for Cryptosporidium or Giardia, two common water pathogens that can cause diarrhea and other intes tina l problems (or more serious problems in vulnerable people).

Bottled water does not have to meet this standard.

City tap water must meet standards for certain important toxic or cancer-causing chemicals such as phthalate (a chemical that can leach from plastic, including plastic bottles).

Bottled water is exempt from meeting this standard.

Any violation of tap-water standards is grounds for enforcement.

Bottled water in violation of standards can still be sold if it is labeled as "containing excessive chemicals" or "excessive bacteria" (unless the FDA finds it "adulterated," a term not specifically defined).

Cities generally must test at least once a quarter for many chemical contaminants.

Bottled water is only obligated to test once annually.

Cities have their water tested by certified labs.

Bottled water does not have to meet this standard.

Tap water test results and notices of violations must be reported to state or federal officials.

Bottled water does not have to meet the same criteria.

City water system operators must be certified and trained to ensure that they know how to safely treat and deliver water.

Bottled water does not have to meet this standard.