Most people don't like tap water for various reasons: it tastes bad, it smell like rotten egg, there might be (and there are plenty) of some stuff that shouldn't be there such as heavy metal, chlorine or chloramines and its by products, bacteria and viruses, trace of drugs...just to name a few. So they turn to bottled water. Sadly, many of the bottled waters are filled from the same source: tap water with some kind of treatment. It may taste better but studies show that some bottled water has the same amount of bacteria or even more.

If you are using the 5 gallons and have a dispenser, the next time you change the bottle, check the bottom of the dispenser and you might find that it is kind of slimy, which means there are plenty of bacteria in the water. Bottled water is often stored in plastic bottle, plastic bottle releases harmful chemical into the water if it is under sunlight. I have seen large grocery stores with piles of bottled water outside the store right under sun for hours even on hot summer days. When recycling the big bottle, you don't know how well it is rinsed before being filled again.

Yes, there might be microorganisms in your tap, by installing ultraviolet water purifier will easily correct the problem and it is less costly comparing to buying bottled water in the long run. Let's do the math. Even taking the bottle to the water store and fill it yourself will cost you anywhere from $1.75 to $3.00 for a 5 gallons bottle (depend on where you live), this has not include your time, your transportation and your effort of carrying it to the house. It would cost more if you add all those up. Ultraviolet water purifiers price range from a few hundreds dollars to a couple thousand dollars, depending on the size and the brand. And you shouldn't use just the ultraviolet water purifier alone because it only sterilize bacteria, viruses and cysts in the water but will not filter other contaminants. Your best bet is to use it in conjunction with an activated carbon filter. I use a unit that cost about $600; it includes a dual cartridge with the ultraviolet bulb inside a carbon-block filter. The activated carbon-block filter will absorb and filter out the bad stuff that we don't want in our bodies such as mercury, lead, dirt, pharmaceutical ect... The ultraviolet light will destroy the waterborne microbes if any are present in the water. Each year just replace the cartridge that cost about $175 and it will purify 1320 gallons of water, bringing the cost down to just about 13 cents per gallon. It's cheap, it's convenient, it saves your time and trouble, but most important, it provides fresh, clean, clear and bacteria free water for you and your family. Just turn on the faucet and enjoy quality water for your drinking and cooking.

Use a refillable bottle to carry water with you when you are on the go. I'm staying away from any kind of plastic since there are reports of plastic bottle leaching harmful substance into the water. Buy a glass or stainless steel bottle is best.

Saw this statement somewhere "Refill not Landfill", it is just everybody should consider doing to curb global warming. If you are concerned about tap water quality, investing in a good carbon-block and ultraviolet water purifier is the best thing you can do to protect harmful contaminants entering your body. Water is good for you, but only if it is good and clean water.