Are people buy more or less bottled water? Has there been any progress?

I didn't see anything that went past 2012... looks like there was a recession-related dip, then back to growth.

At least in my own personal observations - for what that is worth.

Where I teach a student initiative ended bottled water sales on campus, and there have been several water bottle filling stations set up. It's just not clear that this has made a dent, yet, on bottled water sales. But it's a good change.

Think that's just a coincidence?

A while back, I did some calculating and bottled water was more expensive per fluid ounce than milk.

What a racket!

Back in either 2010 or 2011 (I think), the Illinois E.P.A. conducted a study that compared the top 20 brands of bottled water vs. all municipal water supplies in the State of Illinois. The study dealt with safety, appearance and taste, as I recall, and the results were that the best/purest bottled water was beaten by all but three municipal water supplies in the state.

I've never bought a bottle of water since, although I did buy two reusable, thermos-type, glass-lined bottles.

I would like to see him host the White House Correspondents Dinner. I do not know if he would be able to do it since he curses a large amount and seems angry during his comedy bits. I would also like to go seem him in concert.

That would be a hoot if he could host the White House Correspondents Dinner. Doubt any White House would agree, however. He comes around every year in my neck of the woods (Triangle NC). He did undergraduate work here.

I've seen some gross tap water in West Virginia, and some in Ohio.

Some little villages with old steel mills, or in coal areas. Sometimes the local water system is also very old and the town can't afford to maintain it properly.

We all heard about a big chemical spill a couple years ago that made the water undrinkable in several WV counties. But behind that story, the same thing goes on all the time on a much slower and smaller scale, enough to it's really rational for people avoid the tap water. Sometimes the tap water is visibly discolored or has a strange smell.

We most everyone buys the large 10 gallon reusable bottles of water for drinking and cooking. The tap is safe for bathing and washing.

In Vancouver, Washington the water is "hard", and has an abundance of distasteful mineral content. We use a Brita filter, and it takes that unpleasant mineral taste out of the water; and we use it the same way we use the large bottled water in Mexico.

Across the Colombia River in Portland, Oregon, the water is "pristine", and you can't buy better tasting water than what comes right out of the tap.

My experience in traveling the western world" is all the tap water is safe to drink, but much of it has that mineral taste we experience here in Vancouver. A simple Brita filter will remedy the unpleasant taste, and bottled water is a waste of time and money. In less developed countries bottled water may make sense, and may not.

My opinion.

There are people out there who cant tell the difference between bottle water and tap water? Also she says that 1/3 of battled water is filtered tap water so that would make at least 33.3% of bottled water cleaner than tap water.

Here in Omaha, some morning you wake up and turn the tap on, get a wiff of rotten onion smell, sometimes you get cloudy water coming out. Please don't tell me that is cleaner or a higher quality than tap water. I don't even think the presenter really believes what shes saying.