It's aqua, but is it fina? Pepsi's bottled water same as tap

NEW YORK — So you thought that water in your Aquafina bottle came from some far-away spring bubbling deep in a glen?

Try the same place as the water in your tap.

PepsiCo is the latest company to offer some clarity about the source of its top-selling bottled water as it announced on Friday it would change the label on Aquafina water bottles to spell out that the drink comes from the same source as tap water.

A group called Corporate Accountability International has been pressuring bottled-water sellers to curb what it calls misleading marketing practices. The group has criticized PepsiCo over its blue Aquafina label with a mountain logo as perpetuating the misconception that the water comes from spring sources.

Aquafina is the single biggest bottled water brand, and its bottles are currently labeled "P.W.S." The new labels will spell out "public water source."

"If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it's a reasonable thing to do," PepsiCo spokeswoman Michelle Naughton said Friday. Aquafina water is taken from public sources then purified in a seven-step process.

The corporate-accountability group is also pressing for similar concessions from The Coca-Cola, which owns the Dasani water brand, and Nestlé Waters North America, seller of Nestlé Pure Life purified drinking water, which gets some of its water from municipal sources.

Dasani's Web site says its water comes from local water supplies, is filtered using reverse osmosis and is enhanced with minerals.

"We don't believe that consumers are confused about the source of Dasani water," said Coca-Cola spokeswoman Diana Garza Ciarlante. "The label clearly states that it is purified water."

Bottled water has been a growing source of revenue for companies such as PepsiCo, based in Purchase, N.Y., and Atlanta-based Coca-Cola while they lessen their dependence on sales of carbonated sodas due to weakened demand.

Nestlé said Friday it has been printing new labels for its Pure Life water that say whether the water comes from municipal supplies or ground water.

Wholesale sales of bottled water grew to $11 billion in 2006, according to Beverage Marketing, and the industry is expected to maintain growth rates of about 10 percent. The fastest-growing segment of the industry is sales of bottles of less than 1.5 liters, which includes the individual serving sizes sold in many convenience and grocery stores.

The decisions by Nestlé and PepsiCo come as criticism grows over environmental concerns about the industry's use of local water sources and energy to package and ship the bottles.