“Do you know what’s in your water? Do you know where it came from? We have a serious water problem in this country. That’s why water is the No. 1 selling drink in America,” said Johnny Martinez, owner of the new Water To Go stores in West Kendall and Doral — the first such franchises in Florida.

“But even bottled water has its drawbacks. You never know how long it’s been sitting on the shelf. It’s heavy and hard to carry in large quantities, and home delivery can be expensive.”

Water To Go is a 10-year-old company, based in Las Vegas, NV, that found its niche selling purified fresh water for reduced prices.

“Here we make water to order, putting it through our patented 12-step all-natural purification process while the customer watches. Yet it takes less than two minutes to fill a five-gallon container with the cleanest, purest possible drinking water available today. In fact, our process exceeds EPA standards by such a wide margin that we are raising the bar for the entire bottled water industry,” he said.

“An average five-gallon bottle of water in the supermarket costs $7 or $8, while ours costs just $2.25,” Martinez said. “We’re able to keep prices low because we don’t deliver, although our staff transports the water containers from your car to the spigot and back again so that our customers don’t have to lift or carry the heavy bottles.

“We’ll also fill any container you bring us — we have a special sterilization process — for 45 cents a gallon, or we can sell you one of our top-quality recycled plastic bottles or porcelain crocks.”

A description of the company’s 12-step purification process is displayed on the wall, and claims to eliminate metals, chlorine, organic and inorganic substances from the water.

“We ozonate our water, which is an environmentally friendly alternative to purification by chlorine. We never use chemicals, and we also do reverse osmosis, softening the water by passing it through coconut shell resin at 160-200 PSI,” Martinez explained.

He said there’s a lot of technology and science involved, but the end result is 99 percent pure clean water.

“A lot of people are skeptical at first, but I give everyone who comes in a free glass of water, and one taste is all it takes to convince them.”

Water To Go’s local customers include athletes, police officers and fire/rescue personnel, bus and taxi drivers, construction workers, teachers, shop employees, and families.

“We used to buy our water from the machine in the supermarket,” said Maria Villa, a resident of The Hammocks in west Kendall. “We have three kids and we were going through 40 gallons a week. There was no way to keep up with that, so our jars were always empty.

“I started coming to Water To Go because they are more affordable, but mostly because the water is delicious and they help me carry the bottles,” she said.

“We’re not a megastore. We plan our stores so that they will serve the residents of one community, with no lines, no waiting, and lots of personal service,” said Martinez, who was formerly involved in the packaged ice industry for more than 20 years.

Five years ago, he was crushed by a hit-and-run-driver while he was changing a flat tire on a Broward road, and lost both his legs instantly.

“When I was looking for a new career, I wanted something that would not only give me the opportunity to work, but would also enable me to give something back to the community,” he said. “Water is the basis of life, and my research showed that this company has the best purification process in the industry. I have kids myself, so I’m very aware of the safe water issue. I love knowing that I’m selling something that’s good for people and good for the environment.”

Water To Go is located in Doral Isles at 10717 NW 58 St., 305-718-9199, and the Paradise Lakes Shopping Center at 16772 N. Kendall Dr., 305-752-9287.

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