Phosphates?

i've been trying to lower my phosohate levels for about 2 weeks now. my tap water has about 1 ppm and i tested some bottled water and some distilled water and they were 1.5ppm and 2.0 (or above)ppm respectively. phosphate sponges are a good temporary fix but i am looking for a permenant fix. reverse osmosis isnt really an option for me any suggestions?