When water is bottled, the processing can add to the variety in composition and flavor. There are several types of bottled water produced domestically, and each is processed differently. Mineral-free water or distilled water is treated to remove the minerals that occur naturally in water. Almost all sodium is removed by these processes. The resulting water is rather flat and tasteless for drinking because of the lack of minerals.
Drinking water comes from municipal water systems, wells, or springs.
It often is treated by reverse osmosis to remove bacteria and other pathogens and most pesticides. The resulting water is purified but still contains some dissolved solids. Natural water comes from unprotected well or spring systems and is bottled without extensive treatment. This water typically is free of the trace chemical additives found in many public water supplies. However, it contains most of the mineral contaminants commonly picked up by water as it moves through the air, soil, and rock materials.