Every year, Americans spend billions of dollars on bottled water. They purchase a bottle from the vending machine or buy a case at the grocery, no longer considering the water that's freely available from their taps. As consumers and as citizens, however, Americans should pause to study the personal and public consequences of this choice. In this article, the author investigates the enthusiasm of Americans for bottled water, pointing out that a number of bottled brands are basically tap water, and that bottled water is expensive and creates problems for the environment. He suggests that a discussion of both kinds of drinking water can be a good means of introducing young people to the environmental impact of their decisions. (Contains 30 notes.)