Drinking Water in NYC – An analysis of water quality and factors affecting perception of bottled water vs tap and drinking water fountains

Abstract

Bottled water use in the United States has increased dramatically boosted by positive perception of taste and quality. However, it is not clear which factors influence these perceptions and whether they are rooted in actual water quality issues affecting tap and drinking water fountains. This presentation examines the influence of demographic indicators and geographic location on perceptions and choices of the quality of bottled water vs tap and drinking water fountains in New York City (NYC). We present results of in situ sampling of selected water quality parameters including nitrates, pH, alkalinity and hardness across five boroughs of NYC, as well as for commercially available bottled water brands. We combine these with an online survey of over 1,000 respondents to conduct statistical and multi-criteria GIS analyses. Although NYC’s water quality is generally good, there are neighborhood differences that do not reflect socio-economic or racial characteristics. Benefits of high alkalinity is often touted by the bottled water industry, but we found no difference between bottled water and tap water samples. Instead, some of the bottled water samples showed higher acidity and hardness levels than tap and drinking water fountains. Our research shows that survey respondents were generally not influenced by brand name of bottled water, even though a majority did not know the actual source of their drinking water. Overall, the study suggests that the decision to buy bottled water is often influenced by a complex set of factors and we will discuss these in our presentation.