Is Crystal Geyser water good? Yes, in our view it is a solid, low-cost spring water: its 2026 lab reports for all seven of its springs show no detectable arsenic or lead in the finished bottles, and every regulated substance is under FDA limits. The catch is that the water is not one water. Crystal Geyser bottles at seven different springs, so its minerals, pH and taste change with the source printed on your label. The brand’s 2020 arsenic case was about how it handled waste, not about water it sold.
Below is where Crystal Geyser comes from, what each spring’s report shows, the arsenic case, and how it compares with other brands.
Where does Crystal Geyser water come from?
Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water is made by CG Roxane. Its bottled water reports say it owns “private, protected springs” in Weed and Olancha, California; Norman, Arkansas; Benton, Tennessee; Salem, South Carolina; Moultonborough, New Hampshire; and Johnstown, New York. Each plant is built at its spring, so the water is bottled at the source rather than trucked in.
Treatment is light. The reports say the process “employs absolute micron filtration and ozonation,” a fine filter for particles and microbes plus ozone to disinfect. Unlike purified brands such as Dasani, it does not go through reverse osmosis and no minerals are added, so the mineral content comes from each spring.
Is Crystal Geyser water good and safe to drink?
Yes. In the 2026 finished-product reports for all seven sources, arsenic, lead, iron and gross alpha radiation were not detected. Uranium turned up only at Olancha’s second spring, at 0.0016 mg/L against a 0.030 limit. Bromate, a byproduct of ozone treatment, showed up at some springs at about 0.002 mg/L, a fifth of FDA’s 0.010 limit. FDA’s enforcement database lists one Crystal Geyser recall: in February 2017, 24,192 bottles of Crystal Geyser Sparkling Mineral Water sold in California were recalled after a piece of orange plastic from a filler tube went missing. That product is the sparkling line, not Alpine Spring Water, and the recall is closed.
On PFAS, Consumer Reports’ 2020 tests listed Crystal Geyser Natural Spring Water in its group of still waters with lower heavy metal and PFAS levels; CR did not publish an exact figure. The 2026 spring reports do not include a PFAS panel. Our page on whether Crystal Geyser has PFAS covers that question.
How does Crystal Geyser change from spring to spring?
A lot. Here is what the 2026 reports show for the main spring at each site (all in mg/L except pH):
| Source on label | Calcium | Magnesium | Sodium | Fluoride | pH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnstown, NY | 52 | 11 | 14 | 0.064 | 8.0 |
| Benton, TN | 38 | 4.4 | 2.5 | ND | 7.8 |
| Norman, AR | 32 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.12 | 7.6 |
| Olancha, CA | 20 | 2.1 | 17 | 0.53 | 6.8 |
| Salem, SC | 7.5 | 0.37 | 3.5 | 0.22 | 7.3 |
| Weed, CA | 5.9 | 5.2 | 11 | 0.28 | 7.4 |
| Moultonborough, NH | 2.0 | 0.30 | 1.5 | 0.14 | 6.6 |
Johnstown water has about 26 times the calcium of Moultonborough water, and its total hardness of 170 mg/L counts as hard on the U.S. Geological Survey scale, while New Hampshire’s 6.2 mg/L is very soft. Olancha and Weed each have a second spring with its own report; Olancha’s Cabin Bar Spring has the most natural fluoride in the lineup at 0.76 mg/L, close to the 0.7 mg/L CDC recommends for community water and well under FDA’s bottled water limits. Check the source line on your bottle to know which water you are drinking. Our guide to hard water vs soft water explains what those calcium numbers mean.
What was the Crystal Geyser arsenic case?
This is the story that still follows the brand. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General, wells at the Olancha plant “contained naturally occurring arsenic,” and the company used sand filters to reduce it. Cleaning those filters produced thousands of gallons of arsenic-laden wastewater, which went into a man-made pond “its staff called Arsenic Pond.” In 2015 the company moved that wastewater without listing the arsenic on shipping papers and to a site without the right permit.
CG Roxane pleaded guilty in January 2020, and in August 2020 a federal judge ordered it to pay a $5 million criminal fine and serve three years of probation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charges were about storing and transporting hazardous waste. They did not involve a recall of bottled water, and the current Olancha reports show arsenic not detected in the finished product. Still, the case shows that the source water at that site needed treatment for arsenic, which is worth knowing if you buy bottles labeled Olancha. Our guide to testing water for arsenic explains the health limit.
What we would buy for this job
- Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water, 16.9 oz, pack of 24: about 62 cents a bottle when we checked. Check the source town on the label, since minerals differ by spring.
As an Amazon Associate, Complete Water Guide earns from qualifying purchases. Prices change, so check the listing.
What are the downsides of Crystal Geyser?
- It varies. Minerals and taste depend on the spring, so two cases from different regions can taste different.
- Thin reports on newer contaminants. The 2026 reports do not include PFAS or microplastics testing.
- Plastic bottles. Our guide to microplastics in bottled water covers what studies found in major brands.
- The past. If the 2020 arsenic case puts you off the company, that is a fair reason to choose another brand, even though it did not involve the water sold.
Is Crystal Geyser better than Fiji or Evian?
On price, clearly: a 24-pack of 16.9 oz bottles was $14.99 on Amazon when we checked in November 2026, about 62 cents a bottle, against roughly $1.40 for Evian. On minerals, Evian has more calcium (81 mg/L) than any Crystal Geyser spring, and Fiji is known for its silica. On safety, all three publish reports with no detectable arsenic or lead. Our Evian review, Fiji review and ranking of the safest bottled water brands compare them, and our explainer on spring water vs purified water covers the bigger choice.
Frequently asked questions
Is Crystal Geyser water good for you?
Yes. Its 2026 reports for all seven springs show no detectable arsenic or lead and every regulated substance under FDA limits, and it is one of the cheaper spring waters.
Is Crystal Geyser a safe bottled water to drink?
Yes. FDA lists only one Crystal Geyser recall, in 2017, for possible plastic pieces in a sparkling water sold in California. Alpine Spring Water has not been recalled in FDA’s database.
Is Crystal Geyser 100% spring water?
Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water is spring water bottled at seven company-owned springs; its reports list micron filtration and ozone as the treatment. Crystal Geyser also sells sparkling and flavored drinks, which are different products.
Does Crystal Geyser have arsenic?
Its 2026 finished-product reports show arsenic not detected at all seven sources. In 2020 the company was fined $5 million for mishandling arsenic-laden wastewater from filtering source water at its Olancha, California plant.
What is the pH of Crystal Geyser?
It depends on the spring: from 6.6 at Moultonborough, New Hampshire to 8.0 at Johnstown, New York in the 2026 reports.
Where is Crystal Geyser water from?
Weed and Olancha, California; Norman, Arkansas; Benton, Tennessee; Salem, South Carolina; Moultonborough, New Hampshire; and Johnstown, New York. The label shows which one.
Sources
- CG Roxane, Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water Bottled Water Reports and Finished Product Analysis Reports 2026, one per source, checked November 3, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General: CG Roxane indictment summary, July 18, 2018.
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California: Crystal Geyser Water Bottler Ordered to Pay $5 Million Criminal Fine, August 5, 2020.
- U.S. FDA food enforcement database: recall F-1483-2017, searched November 3, 2026.
- Consumer Reports, What’s Really in Your Bottled Water?, September 24, 2020.
- CDC, community water fluoridation recommendation of 0.7 mg/L.
- Amazon listing and price checked November 3, 2026.
