Purified vs. Spring Water

You’ve seen “purified water” and “spring water” on labels before. But have you ever stopped to think about the difference between them? We wouldn’t blame you if you hadn’t… but it turns out, the difference is huge. JUST is sustainably sourced spring water from the Adirondack mountains, not purified water. And we’ll tell you exactly why. 

About Mountain Spring Water

“Spring water” usually refers to water that’s drawn from underground springs, filtered and bottled. For JUST spring water, that process starts in the Adirondack mountains in the Glens Falls, NY watershed. At our processing facility, the water then passes through a series of filtration steps to remove any impurities, and... that’s all. Under the mountain landscape, the water absorbs its natural mineral and pH content from the rocks over which it flows, making it better for your body (not to mention much tastier). 

About Purified Water

“Purified water,” meanwhile, refers to water that’s been processed until it contains 10 parts per million or less of dissolved solids. The process removes all the chemicals, bacteria, sediment, metals, and minerals from the water, leaving it flavorless (and also devoid of any of the minerals essential to your health). There are lots of ways to get water to this state (reverse osmosis, distillation, ion-exchange, etc.) and all of them are expensive, produce both solid waste and waste water, and require a lot of (usually non-renewable) energy. 

Why We Choose Spring

JUST is not purified water because purifying tap water is inefficient and a huge waste of water and energy. Instead, JUST is flavorful spring water with naturally occurring mineral and pH content. It’s pumped from a reliable, plentiful source in the United States (as in, three billion gallons a year plentiful). Ultimately, we choose spring because it’s better for you, better for the planet, better in general.

A Sustainable Alternative

Where some water brands often follow a “use more, pay less” model, which is not sustainable at a time when water is becoming much scarcer in many places, we focused on creating an impact model. We didn’t stop at the question, how much is available? We also asked, Is the water source sustainable over time? How do we value the water fairly? What is the impact we’re having on the community through the process, from pump to carton? And then we found the answers to those questions. 

The Glens Falls watershed, where we source our spring water, is in a relatively small area of 6.2 square miles. Despite its size, approximately three billion gallons of water collects in the watershed annually from snow and rain coming off the mountain range nearby. The city uses approximately half that amount, and JUST bottles a fraction of what remains. This water isn’t just enormously plentiful, it’s reliably plentiful. That means we’ll never risk using water that the community would otherwise need—and that we’ll always be able to bring you reliably delicious, sustainably sourced spring water.