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Apparently Madras, Ore. faucets are fountains of youth.
A "raw water" company, Live Water, has been bottling Central Oregon tap water and selling it in glass bottles to Californians for more than $60 a jug, according to a new report from Men's Health.
The company claims that its "unfiltered, untreated, unsterilized spring water"—sold as a "Fountain of Truth"— is better for you than other bottled water because it contains probiotics and minerals.
On Live Water's Instagram, founder Mukhande Singh, birth name Christopher Sanborn, is shown collecting spring water from natural sources around the world. And on its website the company provides a link to finding natural springs.
But Opal Springs, the water source that Live Water touts on its website, is really just municipal Deschutes Valley Water District drinking water, which costs a whopping one-third of a cent per gallon.
"They all like to sorta imply that they're filling bottles right outta Opal Springs," Edson Pugh, general manager for the water district, told Men's Health. "They are not down at our spring bottling directly from the source. It's the same water that we're serving our customers."
Central Oregon's water is arguably superior to most city tap water. In four blind taste tastes, the Deschutes Valley Water District won a "Best Tasting Water" award. But San Francisco water, at half a penny a gallon, is also perfectly suitable to drink.
When asked by Men's Health about Live Water's water source, Singh was candid.
"Our water is indeed the same water that comes out of their taps," he said. "Our water delivery service is so expensive as a result of our refrigerated trucks, refrigerated storage, and the cost for custom made glass jugs."
It's true that Live Water doesn't treat its water, like other bottled brands do. But, reporter Jack Crosbie notes: "Although Singh's claims that Live Water is good for you appear to be bullshit, It's not illegal, per se, for the company to make these false claims."
"If you're that desperate for probiotics," Crosbie continues, "do what everyone else does and eat some yogurt, instead of getting swindled by a new-age hippie grifter selling tap water in a pretty vase."