BOTTLED WATER EVERYWHERE: AMERICANS SWITCHING WATER DRINKING HABITS IN RECORD NUMBERS

Blaine Morton stocked the shelves at Schuncks in Cape Girardeau with bottled water. The store carries about 20 different brands of water.

Americans drank more bottled water in 1995 than ever before -- 2.7 billion gallons.

Why?

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) believes the national growth can be attributed to three factors: Safety, taste and recognition of bottled water as a beverage in its own right.

"Public drinking water safety and quality continue to be areas of concern for consumers who are selecting bottled water as a safe and high-quality alternate," said Sylvia Swanson, executive vice president of IBWA.

Bottled water, she said, meets strict FDA and industry regulations for bottling and is distributed directly to consumers, avoiding aging pipes and water mains.

The growth of bottled water consumed during the past two decades has been phenomenal. About 240 million gallons of the product was consumed in 1975. A decade later, it hit the billion-gallon mark, and in 1990, total usage topped the 2-billion-gallon mark and more than 250 companies were bottling the product.

Bottled water is available to consumers almost everywhere -- in offices, grocery stores and restaurants.

"We sell tons of bottled water," said Chuck Heady, general manager of Schaefer Watercare Center, 2021 Themis, Cape Girardeau.

Schaefer Watercare Center, with facilities in Cape Girardeau, Perryville, Herculaneum and Park Hills, sells more than a trailer-truck load a week of the bottled water, to retail and wholesale outlets.

Schaefer is the No. 1 Diamond Distilled Water distributor in the nation. Diamond is manufactured by the 125-year-old Mountain Valley Spring Water Co., which has corporate headquarters and a museum at Hot Springs, Ark.

"About 25 percent of our business is with bottled water," said Heady. Schaefer also provides water softening and filtration services.

Culligan Water Conditioning Co., 225 N. Clark, a water softening and treatment company, also reports that 25 percent of its business is with bottled water.

"Our bottled water sales have increased about 300 percent a year since we got into bottled water about eight years ago," said Kathy Rehkopf, Culligan general manager.

Many consumers select bottled water for its taste, said Rehkopf. Others switch as an alternative to beverages which contain calories, sugar, caffeine and/or alcohol.

Culligan International, headquartered at Northbrook, Ill., bottles filtered drinking water. The company observed its 60th year in 1995.

For many consumers, it's a matter of personal preference with reasons as varied as the types and brands of bottled water available, say Heady and Rehkopf. The industry offers something for everyone -- sparkling and non-sparkling, domestic and imported, flavored and without flavor.

One of the latest and hottest flavors on the West Coast appears to be a bottled water product with caffeine.

The products are available in sizes from 8-ounce to 5-gallon containers.

Increases in the use of bottled water have been noted all across the country.

Every region has experienced an increase in per capita consumption in 1995, said Swanson. Some areas exceed the 10.2 gallons per capita, which translates into 163 8-ounce servings of bottled water per person.

The Pacific Coast led the nation with a per-capita consumption of 20.1 gallons, almost double the national average.

Fifteen states, including Illinois, are among the leaders in bottled water sales. The 15 states make up 75.5 percent of the U.S. bottled water marketshare,.

Widespread availability of bottled water contributed to the increase sales, which were up 7.9 percent over 1994 sales, helping the industry capture 11.1 percent of the refreshment beverage marketshare.

Bottled water is available virtually everywhere.

Most consumers (44.7 percent) purchased bottled water from the grocery store. Home and commercial delivery of larger containers account for 39 percent of bottled water consumers. The other 16.3 percent of consumers purchase bottled water from vending services and restaurants.

IBWA believes it will continue to see an increase in the number of consumers who opt for bottled water.

"We expect this year to be even stronger," said Swanson.

What is bottled water? Swanson explains:

-- Water is classified as bottled water if it meets all applicable federal and state standards. It is sealed in a sanitary container.

-- It must be calorie free and sugar free. Flavors, extracts and essences derived from spice or fruit can be added, but must comprise less than 1 percent by weight of the final product.

-- The big difference between the two is the source of the water. While municipalities generally draw their water supply from surface water, most bottled water -- more than 75 percent -- comes from protected underground sources,

These sources include artesian well water, mineral water, spring water and other well water.

The majority of bottled water bought nationally is produced domestically, but more than 95 million gallons of bottled water were imported, from countries all over the world, including France, Canada and Italy.

IBWA is the trade association representing the bottled water industry. Founded in 1958, IBWA member companies produce and distribute 85 percent of the bottled water sold in the United States.