Is alkaline tap water healthy?

Is alkaline tap water healthy? 

With water authorities in South-East Queensland and across Australia increasing the alkalinity of tap water by using caustic soda, it’s time to ask: if tap water is more alkaline, does that mean it is healthier for your body?

The short answer no – not when it’s been chemically altered.

As co-founder of zazen Water, I’ve spent more than 17 years exploring the connection between hydration and health. I want to help you understand the difference between chemically alkalised water and natural alkaline mineral water that supports your wellbeing from the inside out.

What's happening to our tap water? 

You may have seen a short notice on your water bill or a mention in council updates that water authorities are raising the pH of tap water (often as high as 8.5) using a chemical called sodium hydroxide, more commonly known as caustic soda.

This industrial-grade additive changes more than just the number on a pH scale.

Why is caustic soda being added to tap water supplies? 

Sodium hydroxide is an industrial chemical used in everything from soap manufacturing to drain cleaner. In water treatment, it is being added to:

• Improve disinfection effectiveness  of chlorine and chloramine in warmer months – the higher the pH, the more stable (and long-lasting) these disinfectants are
• Reduce corrosion in ageing pipes – lower pH water is more acidic
• Help water meet national pH guidelines

While these changes support infrastructure and safety standards, they don’t improve the quality of water for your body.

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) allow pH levels between 6.5 and 8.5… but not all water within that range is beneficial for health.

What's the problem with chemically alkalised water? 

Chemically raising pH may help protect water pipes and meet national drinking water pH guidelines, but it does nothing to nourish your body. Here’s why:

• It lacks natural alkaline minerals
  Caustic soda raises pH artificially, without consideration for the beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium, which your body needs for hydration, energy production and nervous system support.
• It may alter other contaminants
  A higher pH affect how other substances including fluoride behave in water.
• It may carry industrial residuals
  In some production methods, caustic soda may contain trace amounts of heavy metals like mercury, which are known to be harmful.
• It’s still a synthetic chemical
  Despite passing regulatory checks, caustic soda is not natural nor something your body needs or benefits from.

So, what does this mean for you? 

Alkaline tap water made with caustic soda is not the same as mineral-rich, naturally balanced water. It may be safer for pipes, but it’s not better for people.

If you're drinking unfiltered tap water, even if it's labelled as "alkaline," you're not getting the hydration your body needs to thrive.

What makes zazen water different? 

At zazen Water, we've crafted a system that does more than filter water, it recreates nature's water cycle, mirroring the same principles that nourish life in pristine springs.

In nature, water slowly filters through the layers of the earth, and is exposed to magnetic energy, natural minerals, crystal deposits, and the sun’s far infrared energy.

As the water moves through this transformative journey, it absorbs these vital elements, gaining structure and vitality. Eventually, it pushes up through a spring, spinning and flowing, enriched with oxygen and trace minerals, creating water that is pure, balanced, and energising. It’s the kind of water that nourishes and sustains all life, promoting health and vitality in every living organism – slightly alkaline and mineral rich.

At zazen Water our unique natural HydroGenesis 4-Stage Process mimics Mother Nature’s water cycle, transforming ordinary tap water into mineral-rich, structured, and energised water.

The result is water that supports whole-body hydration and detoxification, delivering the fresh, clean, and nourishing benefits of water straight from a mountain spring on tap in your home.

Here's how it works: 

• Stage 1: Pre-filtration: Traps nano and micro plastics, rust, sediment, mould and spores. Blocks bacteria, giardia, parasites and other harmful microorganisms.
• Stage 2: Microfiltration: Filters harmful toxins and chemicals including chlorine and chloramine, PFAS, fluoride, aluminium, lead, arsenic, pesticides, copper and detergents, while preserving beneficial alkaline minerals.
• Stage 3: Natural mineralisation & alkalinity balance: As water flows through our natural mineral stones, it absorbs calcium, magnesium, and potassium to support cellular hydration, energy, and balance. Water naturally rebalances itself when placed in the right environment – a process known as homeostasis.
• Stage 4: Energy and oxygen activation: Water flows through the zazen 1200 gauss Magnetic Tap, which oxygenates and restructures it into a hexagonal molecular structure, just like water found in nature and the human body. This enhances absorption, boosts vitality, and completes the transformation into living, great-tasting water.

The bottom line: alkalinity alone isn't enough

Water that’s chemically alkaline is not the same as naturally nourishing water.

At zazen, we don’t believe in simply meeting a number on a test. We believe in hydration that supports real wellbeing. Water that replenishes your body, helps your family thrive, and brings you back into balance.

With the zazen Alkaline Water System, you're not just filtering water. You're restoring it to its natural, life-supporting state.

Discover the zazen Alkaline Water Filter System.