Home Blog Buyer's Guides Is Spring Water Better Than Purified Water?

Is Spring Water Better Than Purified Water?

by Dr. Jonathan Doyle - Updated February 13, 2025
Life cannot exist without water. However, you cannot fit all water into one category. Different types of bottled water products are available in grocery stores. Spring water and purified water are the two most popular ones.
Is there a difference between the two? Is one better than the other? Spring water supposedly comes from natural sources, meaning it retains all its natural essential minerals. Purified water has gone through a robust purification process to eliminate most contaminants and impurities from the water, potentially making it the cleanest option.
Let us dive deeper into the pros and cons of purified water vs. spring water to see which might be better to consume.
a woman is drinking water

What Is Spring Water?

Natural spring water is collected from water springs, places in our natural environment where underground water flows to the top of the earth’s surface. Companies collect water from these natural springs and distribute it into bottles without doing much filtration or purification first. Some people prefer spring water because they are richer in essential minerals that your body needs to survive.

How Is Spring Water Sourced?

Underground reservoirs collect rainwater that seeps into the ground. The water collects minerals from the earth, such as potassium , calcium, and magnesium, as it flows through various layers of rocks. These minerals have a significant impact on the health and taste of the water.
Keep in mind that some spring water brands purify or filter their water to ensure it has no contaminants, but not all do.
flowing mountain springs

Pros of Spring Water

  • It contains many natural minerals that help keep the body hydrated and functional.
  • The minerals improve the natural taste of the water by making it feel crisper and fresher in your mouth.
  • Some people prefer natural spring water without filtration because they don’t want to consume anything overly processed.

Cons of Spring Water

  • Not all spring water products are 100% pure due to their lack of filtration. They could have heavy metals, bacteria, and other hazardous impurities.
  • Spring water must be collected from specific locations with natural water springs. That makes it more expensive.
  • Collecting, bottling, and moving spring water harms the environment because it causes more plastic consumption from the bottles and more carbon emissions from the trucks transporting it.

What Is Purified Water?

Purified water is any water put through a filtration procedure to eliminate bacteria, impurities, and chemicals. The great thing about purified water is that it can come from multiple sources rather than one natural source. Water taken from groundwater, spring water, or tap water is often filtered into purified water.
purified water

How Is Purified Water Made?

Water companies will use one of four innovative filtration methods to purify their water. These methods may include any of the following:
  • Reverse osmosis system : Forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane to eliminate contaminants.
  • Distillation filtration: Heating water until it comes to a boil and then collecting the steam from it. The steam only consists of the water content, while all the impurities remain behind.
  • Deionization filtration: Taking out the salts and minerals from the water
  • Activate Carbon filtration: Removes chemicals, such as chlorine, from the water

Pros of Purified Water

  • It is one of the healthiest water options since nearly all the contaminants, such as heavy metals, bacteria, chemicals, and viruses, are removed from the water.
  • Purified water is more affordable than spring water because it can be sourced anywhere.
  • A higher quantity of water sources is available to satisfy the water demand.

Cons of Purified Water

  • Most filtration methods will remove essential minerals and contaminants from the water, causing the water to have no significant health benefits to the body.
  • The lack of minerals can eliminate the natural flavor of the water.
a woman is drinking the spring water

The Best Way to Enhance Flavor and Add Essential Minerals

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems offer a distinct advantage when comparing spring water to purified water. While RO water effectively removes contaminants from water to ensure purity, it also removes some minerals that are beneficial to your health.
Fortunately, Waterdrop X Series Reverse Osmosis X12 offers a remineralization feature that replenishes the water by adding minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which not only enhances the taste of the water but is also beneficial to the body. This remineralized water not only maintains the refreshing taste of spring water but also replenishes the minerals needed by the body, making it a healthy choice for daily drinking. Thus, a reverse osmosis systemX12 can provide you with pure water while enhancing the flavor and ensuring that there are enough minerals in the water to help maintain your body’s electrolyte balance.

Spring Water vs. Purified Water: Which One Is Right for You?

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s compare spring water and purified water side by side:
Feature Spring Water Purified Water
Source Natural underground springs Any water source (filtered tap, groundwater, etc.)
Minerals Contains natural minerals like calcium and magnesium Mostly stripped of minerals
Purity May contain some natural impurities Highly filtered and free of most contaminants
Taste Crisp and mineral-rich Neutral or flat taste
Cost Usually more expensive More affordable
Environmental Impact Bottling and transport increase carbon footprint Can be produced locally, reducing waste

Who Should Choose Spring Water?

Spring water is better for people who prefer the most natural water possible due to the abundance of essential minerals and lack of processing. Of course, you must be willing to pay more for it, too.

Who Should Choose Purified Water?

Purified water is better for people who want the cleanest water possible without contaminants or impurities. It is also ideal for people on a budget who want more affordable water options.

Is Tap Water a Better Alternative?

Many Americans consume water straight from their faucets because they trust the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce clean water regulations upon public water companies. Unfortunately, not all local public water companies abide by these standards.
a woman is drinking the spring water
For example, many city water companies have trouble keeping chlorine and fluoride out of the public’s drinking water. So, if your tap water tastes unusual, ask your local water company to give you a water quality report to see how much fluoride and chlorine are in it.
Regardless of the results, you should install a home filtration system to ensure your tap water is always clean. You can also save money on purchasing purified water by producing it through tap and filter.
Waterdrop reverse osmosis filter is the best home filtration system. That is the one we recommend.

Final Verdict: Which Water Should You Drink?

Everyone has their personal water preferences. You will want to purchase spring water if you care about consuming natural minerals in good-tasting water. On the other hand, if you care about consuming clean water with no contaminants, choose the purified water option.
Either way, consuming water to keep your body hydrated is always important because it is one of the primary keys to long-lasting health and wellness.

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Contaminants Detected in  Fruitland Water Special Service District
30
Contaminants
EXCEED EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES

30  Total Contaminants in Your Water

Water Provider

Fruitland Water Special Service District

Population Affected

120,000

Water Source

Ground water
Exceeds Guidelines

Others Detected

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