What is Spring Water?

Spring water is defined as water which naturally flows from an underground source to our planet’s surface, traveling through cracks and underground caves in the rock formation.

Artesian spring water wells are those where the water is forced to the surface because the sources are higher than the outlet or at least the groundwater which recharges the source is at a higher level and creates the pressure. Non-artesian spring are usually where water falls at a high level, soaks into the ground and then flows down through underground channels to emerge at a lower level as a stream. Hot springs are created where volcanic or other underground pressure is exerted on the water.

As the water travels through the underground rock formations, it picks up minerals in the form of dissolved mineral solids which can add to the flavor of the water and in some cases add bubbles or effervescence in the form of dissolved carbon dioxide to produce natural sparkling water.

Bottled spring water is often described as mineral water which can in a lot of cases be deceptive. Those springs that produce water which is high in dissolve minerals, ‘mineral springs’ are fine, but a good deal of springs known as ’soda springs’ actually contain dissolved sodium rather than minerals. Mineral springs are those where ‘resorts’ or ’spa towns’ have grown around the site, for example Bath in England, Saratoga Springs in New York and Fontaine de Vaucluse in France.

Is bottled Spring Water safe to drink?

A bottle of quality spring water containing various dissolved minerals can indeed be extremely safe and even healthy for our bodies. Drinking beverages rich in dissolved minerals can help our bodies maintain their natural balance. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has strict guidelines and regulations as to what constitutes ‘bottled spring water’ to safeguard the public. It is water which is naturally occurring and flows from its underground source to the surface where it is bottled. If it is collected by sinking boreholes or by the use of additional force then the composition of the water should be exactly the same as that which flows naturally.

There are countless brands of spring water available through retail outlets and even for delivery to home and office. It’s therfore difficult to recommend one over another as it will invariably come down to personal taste. Other considerations other than taste are the bottler/manufacturers reputation for eco-friendly processes and what effect the plastic they use for bottling has on the environment and our health. This sort of information is usually freely available and if not, we should ask ourselves why and perhaps look to a different beverage bottler.

Claiming that its properties are derived from salicin, a mineral that was once the active ingredient of aspirin, the company will now have to await the investigation outcome from the Food Standards Agency.

For the full story…The Independent