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<\/p>\nEvery week, thousands of litres of groundwater are pumped from aquifers in and around Perth and trucked to bottling plants and sold, often bearing the name ‘spring water’.<\/p>\n
That’s raised concerns for Roleystone resident Brad McManus, who believes it may be misleading consumers.<\/p>\n
He’s written to both the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and WA Minister for Commerce Tony Buti with his concerns.<\/p>\n
“I’m not a lawyer, I’m not a hydrologist, I’m not a subject matter expert, I’m just an average consumer with a concern about the representation of bottled water,” Mr McManus told Nadia Mitsopoulos on 102.5 ABC Radio Perth.<\/p>\n
“It appears that the water is being artificially extracted, taken away in tankers, processed, packaged, bottled, promoted and sold as spring water.<\/p>\n
“Where are all these natural springs along the Perth Darling Ranges?”<\/p>\n
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A property in Karragullen, in the Perth Hills, where Coca Cola extracted groundwater for bottled water sales. (ABC News: Emma Wynne)<\/p>\n
According to the WA Rights in Water and Irrigation Act of 1914, which governs the management and use of water resources, spring water is defined as: “A spring of water naturally rising to and flowing over the surface of land, but does not include the discharge of underground water directly into a watercourse, wetland, reservoir or other body of water.”<\/p>\n
The act defines water that flows from the ground into a well or bore separately as ‘underground water’.<\/p>\n
For Mr McManus, “It’s like if someone were to label farmed fish as wild caught, or cage eggs as free range.”<\/p>\n
He’s hoping either the ACCC or the minister can answer his concerns.<\/p>\n
“I’m raising the concern as a consumer because I just think people need to know the truth,” he said.<\/p>\n
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Fruit orchards in Karragullen, where many growers rely on groundwater extracted from bores for irrigation. (ABC News: Emma Wynne)<\/p>\n
Food standards approve spring water label<\/p>\n
Chief executive of the Australian Beverages Council Geoff Parker says bottled water labelling is covered by the Food Standards Code and allows groundwater to be marketed as spring water.<\/p>\n
The code, which was last updated in April 2026, states that: “Mineral water or spring water means ground water obtained from subterranean water-bearing strata that, in its natural state, contains soluble matter.”<\/p>\n
“I think people are probably pretty clear that they expect their [bottled] water to be coming from a natural source as opposed to municipal town sources,” Mr Parker said.<\/p>\n
“It’s probably well understood out there what spring water means.”<\/p>\n
Mr Parker said the ACCC had cracked down on water labelling in the past, outlawing the term ‘organic water’ on bottled water labels around 10 years ago.<\/p>\n
Groundwater for bottled water controversial<\/p>\n
It’s the not the first time the use of groundwater by bottled water companies has caused consternation.<\/p>\n
How much free water does Coca-Cola take from Perth’s aquifers?<\/a><\/p>\n Coca-Cola has been taking free water from a bore in Karragullen for decades, to use in bottled water. Here’s how the agreement, which is perfectly legal, came about.<\/p>\n Many locals were concerned after ABC Radio Perth revealed two years ago that Coca Cola was taking thousands of litres from an unregistered bore in Karragullen<\/a>, a part of the Perth Hills with many fruit growing businesses.<\/p>\n