Bill would tell state how much of its water goes to bottlers

Does the state have a right to know where its water is going?

Major multinational corporations such as Nestle are allowed to siphon it up for free—only to sell it back to Californians and others in energy-guzzling plastic bottles likely to end up in landfills or floating off our lovely coastlines. Profit margin: Up to 10,000 percent.

Bottled water is increasingly controversial for these reasons. And while you may not believe that the occasional Dasani or Aquafina is a Class A environmental felony, it would certainly make sense to have companies pay the state something for the millions of gallons of water they remove from the public’s groundwater supply.

A state bill sponsored by Felipe Fuentes (D-San Fernando) will soon get a floor vote to eliminate on part of the scandal: It would require water bottlers to report how much water they take from public aquifers. The governor vetoed the bill last year in a skirmish over the budget.

Also last summer, the City of Sacramento made a deal with Nestle that is stricter than most: It charges the company 65 centers per 100 cubic feet of water, instead of giving it up for free. But the city didn’t limit the Nestle’s total draw, even as local residents faced water restrictions. And the 65 cent price is 10 cents lower than the generic commercial rate, although Nestle will make a 10,000 percent profit on the water.

Fuentes’ bill wouldn’t undo sweetheart deals like this one, but it would force water bottlers like Nestle to report their water use to the state — which would empower officials to consider this significant source of commercial use in determining how best to handle California’s contentious water issues.

Ask your representatives to support the bill by signing this petition.

In January, Washington DC added a $.05 tax on plastic bags in order to attempt to reduce plastic waste. The tax ended up having 2 great outcomes – 1) the number of plastic bags used dropped from a monthly average of 22.5 million to an astounding 3 million! 2) The tax generated $150k  in revenue that will be used to clean up a nearby river.

This is great! A small tax that will help change consumer thinking and an astronomical drop in plastic bag waste. Hopefully other locations will see these results and make the change as well…maybe a tax on bottled water??

Read the full story here

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) held a Best of the Best – Tap Water Taste Test yesterday at their annual conference in Chicago.  This is the 5th year that the AWWA has held the competition in an attempt to prove that tap water is better than bottled water. There were a total of 21 municipal water sample finalists.  The 2010 winner was the Stevens Point Water Department in Wisconsin, 2nd place was awarded to New York City with Lincoln, NE and Silverdale, WA tying for 3rd!

A couple interesting facts about the competition:

• Silverdale, WA uses water from a 1,000-foot-deep aquifer that is so pure the water is pumped directly to homes without the utility treating it
• Stevens Point town motto is “City of Wonderful Water”
• The competition had 3 judges from the AWWA Taste and Odor Committee, with the same taste standards applied to the water as wine and beer taste competitions. This is serious stuff!

Read more here

Hamilton, Ontario, a city with nearly 700,000 residents in Canada is considering banning the bottle. Well not quite. But the city is at least trying to start campaigns aimed at curbing bottled water sales.

The strategy is aimed at encouraging Hamiltonians to tap into the city water supply as much as possible while reducing reliance on bottled water.

Bottled water is big business in Canada. Sales of bottles of water less than 18 litres in size have soared to $430 million in 2006, up from $280 million in 2002.

But to address environmental concerns over waste and the loss of confidence in municipal tap water, some 39 Ontario municipalities have posted restrictions on bottled water in municipal facilities.

As well, in cities such as Toronto and London, Ont., where bottled water is banned from municipal premises companies have found a way around the prohibition by selling flavoured water products instead.

Read the full article here: http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/751866

Florida’s Senate Commerce Committee voted 7-1 to allow a $.06 tax on every bottle of water purchased in Florida.  Great quote to represent this vote “This is not a tax. It’s a surcharge to save the environment.” So true! It is estimated that big water companies pull 3.6million gallons of water DAILY from Florida’s resources.

Read more here – Bottled Water Tax is Back

Recently several groups have called the governement out on the carpet about their frivilous spending on bottled water.  Corporate Accountability International cited that in 2008 state agencies spent over $525,000 on bottled water 5-gallon jugs.  While smaller cities and towns service fewer people, their cost could be less than $100. But it still begs the question – how are we supposed to feel good about our water if the government doesn’t even drink the tap water?!?  Leading by example is always the first step when trying to help initiate Ban the Bottle campagins.  Take San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, St. Louis and Seattle – all have lead by example and made it illegal to spend government money on bottled water.  Support your public water system – ban the bottle!

Read the entire article here – http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/regional/x1439500979/Group-criticizes-state-for-spending-more-than-500-000-on-bottled-water