Bottled Water

I was going to mention that this month marks the 10-year anniversary of having gone beerless—or any other alcohol—but I think I will wait a couple more weeks to comment on that.

Being on the wagon has not been a struggle for me pholks, but it is still an accomplishment of which I’m rather proud. I faced no crisis or any serious addiction, just a habit I decided to give up. But a pressing issue, also involving drinking habits, has forced me to push my reflections on my no-alcohol milestone back a little.

Millions of other people are finding themselves being coerced to climb aboard another wagon, a real big one: The Bottled Water Wagon.

In case you haven’t heard, New York City has launched a massive and aggressive campaign for residents and visitors to give up bottled water and consume tap water instead in help protect the environment. The campaign also points to the city’s domestic water as among the best tasting in the country. City officials point to the saving of money, the reduction of waste and other environmental benefits.

It’s estimated that Americans consume 37 billion bottles of water a year and according to environmentalist groups, four of every five plastic bottles end up in a land fill.

They also claim that 47 million gallons of oil are used each year to produce the bottles used by Americans.

Of course, bottled water industry leaders say the environmentalist are all wet in some of their claims, noting that water bottles are among the most recycled of all packaging, a minimum amount of ground water is used to make the products and that bottled water is fully regulated by the FDA.

But there is little doubt that the fascination with bottled water is ebbing. Some big name restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Boston and other cities have taken bottled water off their beverage menus. And Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Mich. and San Francisco prohibit the use of city funds for bottled water.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom made headlines when he banned bottled water from city agencies. San Francisco spends about half a million dollars a year on bottled water for employees, even though its tap water comes from a pristine city-owned reservoir in the Sierra which produces some of the nation’s best-tasting water, according to news accounts.

Can’t you pholks see it now? A water fight among U.S. cities over whose tap water is the best. “Chicago style pizza is goes great with our tap water,” or “Tap into the Big Apple,” or, if Tupelo Miss., has decent water, “Tap Into Tupelo.” Tumwater, Wash., has a natural advantage if the water there is any good: “Tumwater’s Water is Good for the Tum Tum.”

While the bottled water industry may not be in a nosedive as steep as typewriter repair service, it is probably not one you want to sink a lot of money into.

Did you know that consumers spend nearly $11 billion a year on bottled water?

Did you know that almost 40 percent of bottled water is tap water which has been treated and bottled and that Americans drink more bottled water than anyone else? And government regulations for municipal water supplies are more stringent than for bottled water?

Talk about marketing. Biggest rip-off, as I see it, since light beer, light wine and diet pizza.

Pholks, I’ve never been very picky about bottled water. Some is better than others but price and availability plays stronger with me than some fancy named and fancy price water.

It is going to be interesting to follow this switch back to the tap. Personally it will make little difference to me. Despite my strong opinions of some issues, when it comes to water, I prefer to go with the flow.

Miles can be reached at mshuper@valleyvoicenewspaper.com