HONORABLE MENTION WINNER, GRADES 9-12
Nicole Hartford
Grade 12, Boston Latin Academy, Boston
Mrs. Fogarty, Teacher

The Consumer Benefits of Tap Water

Over time our nation has become consumed with industry and capitalism. This making almost everyone, without even meaning to, assume that bottled water is better than tap water. Catchy commercial jingles and celebrity appearances in bottled water ads have brainwashed people into consuming bottled water. Bottled water companies make people think they will be healthier if they drink bottled water, because of the added nutrients. Studies have shown that tap water is not only better from an economic stand point, but that tap water is also more sustainable, accessible, and healthy.

In 2006, an article stated that, “At as much as $2.50 per liter, bottled water costs much more than gasoline.” (Owen) Water is a necessity of life. People should not be paying more money for something they need to live, than for gas to power a car.

The same article stated, “High mineral content of some bottled water make them unsuitable for feeding babies and young children.” (Owen) This is a prime example of how bottled water is not as convenient or healthy as tap water.

Bottled water also has a negative impact on the environment. A lot of gas is burned, polluting the atmosphere, from manufacturing and transporting bottled water beverages. Water bottles also take 400- 1,000 years to degrade.

The benefits of tap water over bottled water are extremely evident in terms of economics. The NRDC reported. “A 5 year supply of bottled water costs more than $1,000, whereas the same amount of tap water costs $1.65.” (NRDC) Thus providing tap water is beneficial in terms of economics.

Evidence from not only scientific articles, but also from field studies have shown that tap water has a plethora of benefits over its competitor, bottled water. Bottled water in the end only benefits big businesses, not us, the consumers.

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