Alkaline water or high pH water has gained rapid popularity in recent years. Unfortunately, research is limited on the potential alkaline water benefits. What is alkaline water anyway? Alkaline water is a type of water that has a higher pH (usually 8-9.0) than regular water (7.0 or less). Basically, it has more oxygen available and there is no known disease that can survive in an alkaline state. Alkaline water also has more key minerals that the body needs to function properly, such as calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium.