14 Brands of Bottled Spring Water Recalled — Niagara Bottling Affected

Millions of consumers opt for bottled water instead of drinking straight from the tap. So when a major manufacturer recalls a product because of a contamination scare, it makes headlines.

The summer of 2015 saw one of those manufacturers, Niagara Bottling, pulling bottles off store shelves after a spring was found to have E. coli. The spring – Far Away Spring in Auburn, Penn. – affects water bottled in the company’s Allentown, Penn., and Hamburg, Penn., plants.

In a statement, the company said operators of the spring failed to notify the plant about evidence of E. coli at the site and, upon learning of the contamination, has shut down operations there.

States impacted by the recall include Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. Brands included in the recall are 7-11 Spring Water, Acadia Spring Water, Acme Spring Water, Best Yet Spring Water, Big Y Spring Water, Morning Fresh Spring Water, Nature’s Place Spring Water, Niagara Spring Water, Pricerite Spring Water, Shaws Spring Water, Shoprite Spring Water, Superchill Spring Water, Wegmans Spring Water and Western Beef Blue Spring Water.

To find out whether you have a product that has been compromised, read the public notice issued by Niagara Bottling. If you do, prior to consuming the water, boil it for one minute. Or return it for a full refund.

E.coli causes cramps, diarrhea, headaches and nausea, among other symptoms, although no illnesses have been reported related to the recall.

Spring water, which comes from natural sources all over the world, differs from purified water, which is sourced from the local water supply and processed. Spring water is filtered through layers of rock as it flows in an aquifer, an underground storage area that is supposed to be contamination-free. Depending on how far away the spring is, the process can take anywhere from 10 to 100 years to accomplish. Contamination often occurs when the spring and aquifer are overworked.

“Good spring source management requires not taking out water from the underground aquifer any faster than it is going in,” according to The Spring Waterman, another bottling company. “Following the manufacturing practices and testing procedures required by the ABWI, the spring water is taken from underground, micro-filtered and passed through various processes to destroy bacteria and other contaminants before being bottled for distribution.”

The ABWI, an acronym for the Australasian Bottled Water Institute, is the bottled-water industry’s preeminent voice for industry standards such as source monitoring and protection.