Spring vs Mineral Water: What is the Difference?

On the surface natural spring and mineral water seem to have a lot in common, however the fundamental difference between the two is that the minerals in spring water are naturally occurring whereas the minerals in mineral water can be (and often are) added to it.

Spring water is untouched and is fit for consumption at the source, while mineral water often has its minerals added to it artificially.

What about spring water and natural spring water? The key term here "natural" signifies that the water, the source, and the minerals are all naturally occurring. At Natural Springs Australia our water is free from any chemical treatment and is delivered to you as pure as it is found at the source, just as nature intended.

Spring Water

As previously mentioned, spring water is water that is found in underground aquifers with naturally occurring minerals. These minerals are picked up by rainwater as it filters through mineral rich rocks (at our source this is the fine scoria of an ancient volcano) before collecting in the aquifer.

What is an aquifer? An aquifer is an underground water reservoir. There are two types of aquifers: confined and unconfined. Confined aquifers are surrounded by a layer of rock while unconfined aquifers lie below soil.

Our source is an ancient confined aquifer sealed at the base with basalt and capped at the top with aerated scoria which gives our water its naturally high mineral content.

Additionally aquifers are naturally sustainable as rainwater, which filters through the mineral rich rocks to remove any impurities, refills the aquifer over time.

How Does Rain Become Spring Water?

The rain that is collected in spring water aquifers fell hundreds (and sometimes even thousands) of years ago. This rain falls on the land above the aquifer, slowly being absorbed by the Earth. So why is it not dirty? That is an understandable question. The answer is that as the rainwater trickled down through the Earth, it naturally filters through mineral rich rocks which simultaneously prevent any sediments from passing through them while also passing on their minerals to the water itself. The result is beautifully crystal clear water, rich in natural minerals, collected in the aquifer.

How is Spring Water Treated?

Spring water does not receive any sort of chemical treatments. It is pure at the source and is fit for immediate consumption. However, due to international food safety standards, all water must undergo disinfection processes. Luckily there exists a method of disinfection that does not involve any chemicals or leave any traces in the water itself. The method is called ozonation and involves ozone (O3).

Ozonation is 100% safe, leaves no traces in the water, and kills any bacteria/viruses/etc that may be present. The way it works is simple. Ozone is O3 (three oxygen atoms bonded together) which is a powerful oxidant. An oxidant is a compound that reacts with other compounds by giving them one or more of its oxygen atoms. As the ozone gas bubbles through the water it reacts with any organic substances such as bacteria (by giving them its third oxygen atom), killing them in the process. The byproduct is just oxygen (O2) which bubbles out of the water almost immediately.

Ozonation is an industry standard and has been used for decades to disinfect drinking water.

Order today and discover the very best water that Australia has to offer.