The Nibble: Artesian Water

Four hundred fifty years ago, rain fell and began to work its way through the ground, where it ultimately collected in a vast artesian aquifer. That aquifer is a huge volcanic chamber encapsulated by the rock walls of an ancient crater that now lies beneath the Yaqara Valley floor on the Fiji island of Viti Levu. The volcano lies in a valley on the northern tip of the island. Above the valley are mist-shrouded peaks of the Nakauvadra Mountains, rising to 4,000 feet. Temperatures are always cool, so moisture-laden clouds gather, quickly reach their dew point and dissolve into rain that falls on the volcanic highlands throughout the year.

The rain water then follows gravity on a long journey beneath the earth to the aquifer, percolating for hundreds of years through layers of silica, basalt and sandstone. (This natural filtration system is what municipal water systems try to emulate when designing water treatment plants.) When it reaches the aquifer it remains confined in the naturally pressurized, sealed chamber, protected from anything in the outside world—until it is tapped by man.

FIJI Water’s state-of-the-art bottling facility sits right on top of the aquifer; the water is drawn into the plant using a completely sealed delivery system. So, until the blue bottle cap is unscrewed, FIJI Water never is exposed to the air of the 21st century.

What Is Artesian Water?

By definition, artesian water comes from a source deep within the earth, protected by layers of clay and rock. There is no opening to the surface. As a result, the water never comes into contact with the air, protecting it from environmental pollutants and other contamination.

Of the top ten bottled waters sold in the United States, FIJI Water is the only water originating from a natural artesian source. Given a similar price, we’d reach for a FIJI any day over brands such as Aquafina, Arrowhead, Crystal Geyser, Dasani, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Poland Spring and other top contenders.

Continue To Page 3: Fiji Water Analysis

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