The public drinking water fall into two groups that are bottled water and “tap water”. In turn are distinguished packaged mineral, spring and prepared. Each one has some features in both their origin and distribution.

1. Classification of waters
Drinking waters can be classified into two main groups are the Consumer Public Drinking Water and Packaged Drinking Water, which are divided into table water or natural mineral water, spring water and drinking water ready.

2. Drinking Water in Public Consumption
Drinking Water in Public Consumption those waters are not packaged for human consumption or incorporated into industrial food products.

It is what is commonly known as “tap water” and takes supplies to homes and local communities through public anbastecimiento network. They must meet the health requirements of absence of microbiological contamination, parasitological and chemistry. It comes from reservoirs or ground water through wells. Normally undergo purification processes using chlorine, ozone, etc..

3. Bottled Water
Packaged Drinking Water, as we have seen include water table or natural mineral water, spring water and drinking water ready.

• Water or natural mineral table

Potable. The water we consume daily should be purified. Be accepted as table waters and natural mineral waters bottled waters those that are taken daily as a beverage. According to the WHO should be unpolluted waters beyond its normal viable bacteria, parasites or other pathogens and uncontaminated by chemicals.

Should come from an underground spring that came from a natural spring or perforated. You can specify physical treatments such as oxygen decanting or filtration for removal of undesirable natural elements. It allows addition or removal of carbon dioxide. But that prohibited the use of substances for disinfection or microbial modification of its content.

They contain at source or after bottling at least 1,000 mg of dissolved salts or 250 ml. free CO2 per kilogram (low mineralization) and have healthy properties.

They also provide an assurance of a constant composition. All this must be recognized by the relevant authorities. Ingestion is not subject to any limitation there being a maximum level of consumption. You can not consider those table waters artificially gassed as seltzer or soda water.

• Spring waters

The spring waters are those drinking water from underground sources that flow spontaneously through a spring or are drawn by men.

May require physical treatment to remove undesirable elements. It allows addition or removal of carbon dioxide. But drinking it is not allowed. Within these waters are those that got their name from the medicinal mineral waters.

- The medicinal mineral waters.
Are those that come from natural springs, do not require chemical manipulation and are packaged in their home, and have high mineralization which is what gives it its healing properties.

These therapeutic properties make their regular consumption may be limited in certain cases. Like the rest of the public drinking water should not show contamination by microorganisms or parasites. They must ensure a constant ionic composition. According to this composition can be classified as bicarbonate, chloride, sulfur, sulfates, iron, radioactive and oligometallic.

• Drinking water prepared

Drinking water is prepared that drinking water should be free of microbiological and parasitological contamination. Not guarantee a constant ionic strength.

It enables physical-chemical treatments such as sedimentation, filtration, chlorination, ionization, and so on. although they alter the initial chemical composition of water.