When was the bottled water industry first regulated?

Since 1938, the FDA has regulated bottled water as a packaged food under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). As a food product, bottled water must be packaged in sealed, sanitary containers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulated the quality of public water supplies (tap water) delivered to consumers by their local utilities since 1974. By law, FDA regulations for bottled water must be no less stringent than the EPA’s regulations for tap water.

It is the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) that ensure the safety of all bottled water products from production to packaging to consumption. GMPs were mandated by law under the 1962 Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments. Some GMPs, which are specific to bottled water processing and bottling, address plant construction and design; sanitary facilities; sanitary operations; equipment design and construction; production and process controls; and record keeping. Bottled water is one of only five food products that have GMPs above what is required of all foods.

In compliance with the FDA’s standard of quality regulation established in 1974, bottled water manufacturers are also required to ensure that their products adhere to the allowable levels for substances in bottled water, such as those for coliform and lead. This regulation includes levels related to microbiological quality, such as the limit on the number of coliform organisms; physical quality, such as turbidity, color and odor; chemical quality, such as the limits on organic and inorganic chemicals; and radiological quality, such as the limit on radium 226.

Bottled water manufacturers also must ensure that their products meet the FDA established standard of identity for bottled water products, which was established in 1996. A bottled water product bearing a particular statement of identity, for example "mineral water," must meet the particular requirements of the standard of identity for mineral water to avoid being misbranded. There are definitions for bottled water, drinking water, artesian water, ground water, distilled water, deionized water, mineral water, reverse osmosis water, purified water, sparkling bottled water, spring water, sterile water and well water. If a bottled water is misbranded, it is subject to recall.
Source: http://www.bottledwater.org/public/BWFactsRegHome.htm