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An astonishing one-fifth of the populations of Canada and the United States drink bottled water exclusively. Are they swallowing a load of bunk?
Andrea Harden of the Polaris Institute thinks so. The group, which started the Inside the Bottle project to raise public awareness of the bottled water industry, brought its case to Ottawa’s planning and environment committee in December. Citing wasteful packaging and false claims about the superior purity of such products, the Polaris report suggested a ban on the sale of plastic bottled water in city buildings.
It is no small irony that the Humvee of beverages has such a hold on the very places where municipal employees – not to mention tax dollars – work to ensure that Ottawa’s water is clean. The city invests $90-million annually in maintaining its drinking water supply. “It’s time we see the city step up and support public water,” Harden says. “City councillors are very proud of their water services, and they want Ottawa citizens to know that.”
Confidence in Ontario’s tap water waned following incidents like the 2000 Walkerton E. coli contamination, and the bottled water industry continues to play on these fears, marketing their water as healthier, safer and even sportier.
In fact, the vast majority of bottled water is taken from rural springs or public systems at little or no cost, bottled for around five cents, and then sold for hundreds of times that amount. A galling one-quarter of that is simply “reprocessed” municipal tap water.
Public tap water is much more highly regulated, and is tested for over 350 substances, while bottled water is only tested for three. For Harden, the choice is clear.
“Tap water is safe. It’s a good environmental and social choice. It also saves you some money. This is one step I as an individual can take, and can encourage others around me to take.”
Polaris has published a number of studies highlighting the tremendous environmental impact of bottling water – from the use of fossil fuels in plastic production to the heavy carbon footprint of trucking all of those bottles across North America, and to the millions of tons of litter that follows. Other research has raised the ugly possibility that PET plastic leaches carcinogenic chemicals into the water.
Last June, San Francisco’s mayor passed legislation stopping the use of city funds to purchase bottled water, prompting several other U.S. cities to follow suit.
“Thus far we haven’t seen a major Canadian city set a similar precedent,” Harden laments. “We would like to see the city of Ottawa, as the country’s capital, set an example.”
City staff are developing a strategy to address these concerns. Polaris, together with the Ottawa Water Study/Action Group (OWSAG), is collecting signatures on a petition to ask council to stop purchasing bottled water for its functions, and to encourage citizens to use tap water and drinking fountains. To sign on, visit www.insidethebottle.org.
Ottawa XPress