Bottle Water To Come Clean

"So you thought the water in your Aquafina bottle came from some far-away spring bubbling deep in a glen?

Try the tap.

The company behind Aquafina, the best-selling bottled water brand, has bowed to pressure to change their labels so consumers know the drink comes from the same source as tap water.

All of PepsiCo Inc.'s water bottles will now be labeled "P.W.S." meaning it comes from a "public water source."

"If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it's a reasonable thing to do," PepsiCo spokeswoman Michelle Naughton said.

PepsiCo is the latest company to change its labeling after pressure from a group called Corporate Accountability International.

The organization, which campaigns against what it calls misleading marketing practices, says the blue Aquafina label with its mountain logo gives the impression the water comes from a spring.

In reality, Aquafina water is taken from public sources and purified in a seven-step process."

Now, I'm the farthest thing from a yuppy-puppy one can be, but refuse to drink tap water derived from the swill ponds that Gainesville Florida laughingly refers to as potable water reservoirs. First of all I detest chlorinated water, and while the stuff in these parts is infinitely better than the scum-laden excuse for water found in say, Sioux City, Iowa, it's still far too chlorinated and has a bitter aftertaste that I find to be most objectionable. Yes I was spoiled by being reared on NYC H2O which has one of the cleanest, most delicious tap water in the country, but was, and remain appalled at how godsawful the liquid offal is around our nation.

I really don't blame people for drinking bottled water. Of course the loons take it to the extreme, and far be it for them to be merely thirsty, hells no, they must HYDRATE whiles the rest of us mere mortals simply sip. But I'm tempted to give even them a pass because most local water supplies are barely fit to bathe in let alone drink.

At any given point in time one or more of the local stores are practically giving the stuff away, and the worst of the lot is much better than what can be found from any faucet in town.