Fresh clean drinking water is fundamental for a healthy life. There is no reason why you should have anything less. If you live in Westchester, Putnam, or Dutchess County you may get your drinking water from a private well. Several home associations also have shared wells and some municipal water supplies also use well water. Most well water is safe to drink as the earth is a very effective water filtering system.
Problems arise when wells become contaminated by surface waters that contain contaminates. This is common near industrial sites, farms, golf courses, and after heavy rains and flooding. If you feel that you well might have a water problem get it tested! Chances are that you may actually only need a simple sediment or taste/odor filter!
Many filtering solutions are available to homeowners. From something as simple as a Brita Filter Pitcher ($20) up to large whole house filters costing thousands of dollars. Over the long run all of these systems are less expensive then using bottled water.
Bottled water has become very popular in recent years but is not a very cost effective solution! Some bottled waters have been tested and have been found to contain many contaminates. Many are just "filtered water" that come from a public water supply! Realistically there is no reason to buy bottled water.