Water Water Everywhere … a quick reference guide.

What's in the water?

Naturally-carbonated natural mineral water after treatment, replacement of gas and packaging, has the same content of gas from the source.

Non-carbonated natural mineral water does not contain carbon dioxide in excess of the amount necessary to keep hydrogen carbonate salts dissolved.

De-carbonated natural mineral water has less carbon dioxide than when it came out of the ground.

Carbonated natural mineral water has been made bubbly by adding carbon dioxide.

Demineralized water has the dissolved solids (minerals) removed.

Re-mineralized water, after filtration that removes all the solids, has some minerals put back in.

Ozonized water has ozone added to kill bacteria.

Super-oxygenated water contains extra oxygen, most of which escapes when you twist the cap.

Bottled water can come from any source.

Mineral and spring water
This must come from an underground source (not a public water supply) and can't be altered with chemicals. Mineral water has a higher amount of dissolved mineral salts.

Bottled water
This can be water from any source, distilled, carbonated or treated in any manner. Dasani (owned by Coca-Cola) is filtered municipal tap water, bottled in Brampton, Ont., and Calgary. (Pepsi owns Aquafina, which is also sourced from municipalities.)

Artesian water/Artesian well water
Bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand).

Sparkling water
Water that has been carbonated. Soda water, seltzer water and tonic water are not considered bottled waters.

Glacial water
Water from a source directly from a glacier.

Natural water
Water(such as spring, mineral, artesian or well water) obtained from an approved underground source and not from a municipal or public water-supply system. This water is untreated other than by filtration.

Purified water
Water produced by distillation, de-ionization or reverse osmosis, which contains not more than 10 mg/L of total dissolved solids.

Bottled water – What's in a label?, CBC News. Retreived from Website November 13, 2007