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The campaign for the future of Tucson Water is under way.

The competitors are two blends of groundwater and Central Arizona Project water with higher mineral contents than today's tap water. Tucson Water is asking customers to sample both — one with a mineral content of 450 parts per million and another that is 650 ppm, twice as mineralized as today's tap water.

The difference is the cost, with the lower mineral content water requiring a new reverse osmosis plant that would add $7 to the average monthly water bill.

If chosen, the 650 ppm blend is expected to cost customers an extra $3 to $4 per month in maintenance of appliances and plumbing systems.

The public comments on which blend is preferred will be forwarded to City Hall as the mayor and council decide which option to pursue.

From now until Jan. 31, Tucson Water employees will staff mall kiosks where people can sample both water varieties and fill out comment forms. The kiosks will be open all mall hours at Park Place and Tucson Mall.

Mobile kiosks also will be used at other shopping centers and during community events such as the Fourth Avenue Street Fair and SAHBA Home Show, said Jeff Biggs, project manager for Decision H2O and administrator for Tucson Water's Water Quality Division.

"We'll be out for four months, and I think we'll get a really good indication of what people prefer, or whether or not there's a preference," Biggs said.

The choices are between allowing the level of dissolved minerals — sodium, magnesium, calcium, sulfates and chlorides — in the water to increase to 650 parts per million, or to keep the mineral content at 450 ppm or below, which would require a $340 million reverse osmosis plant.

The water from Tucson's aquifer has about 250 ppm of dissolved minerals, while Colorado River water has about 650 ppm. After a failed experiment with Central Arizona Project water delivery in the 1990s, Tucson Water moved to CAP recharge.

Since 2001, Colorado River water has been pumped into a recharge basin, where it is mixed with groundwater. Between 50 percent and 70 percent of Tucson Water customers receive the groundwater-CAP blend, depending on the season.

As the city grows more dependent on CAP water, about 90 percent of customers will receive a blend.

Most people at Tucson Mall on Sunday either liked the lower mineral water slightly better or had no preference, said Tucson Water employees running the kiosk.

"I can't tell the difference no matter how hard I try," said Eric Wager, a Tucson Water systems engineer.

Rae Lynn Reffruschinni said she much prefers the lower mineral water and recalled her bad experience with CAP water in the 1990s.

"I couldn't even take a shower in it. It stunk," she said.

Jerry Harwood said he is concerned about the taste and the effect on household plumbing and the mineral buildup in soil.

"The effect on plants should be an issue people know about," said Harwood, tasting the difference in the lower mineral water right away. "The more salt, the more trouble there is for plants."

Rene Herrera, a physical education teacher at Magee Middle School, said he usually drinks bottled water, but said water with more minerals will cost more in the long run.

"There's going to be wear and tear on everything, and most people don't look at the long-term costs," he said.