Bottled Water or Eau de Tap?

Oh, to drink bottled water or tap water? This might be the question as the ripples of tap water will be felt throughout the country.

San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsom, for the first time ever, issued a permanent phase-out of bottled water purchases by the city and county government.

Mayor Newsom's directive prohibits the purchase of bottles of water using city funds, beginning July 1. This week the directive was followed by the passing of a resolution at the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Mayors from across the country adopted the resolution which stresses the importance of strong public water systems and calls for a study of the impact of bottled water on city waste.

The environmental impact of the bottled water industry has been profound, says the directive. Plastic bottled water that American consumers purchase in one year requires more than 47 million gallons of oil to produce. More than one billion plastic water bottles end up in California's landfills each year, according to the Container Recycling Institute.

The production of tons of plastic bottles, like the burning of fossil fuels, releases one billion pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. Scientists link the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide to global warming.

Corporate Accountability Advocates welcomed the Mayor's initiative with open hands saying that this moment comes at an important time for people in the U.S. and around the world.

"People in the U.S. currently spend $11 billion a year on bottled water. At the same time there is a $22 billion funding gap on what cities need to spend on water infrastructure, said Gigi Kellett, a tap water advocate speaking in support of the resolution at the meeting of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

Despite the higher price of bottled water in comparison to the price of tap water, consumers are often convinced that bottled water is safer. Bottled water consumption increased 57 percent compared to five years ago. But for the price of one bottle of water, locals in San Francisco can buy 1,000 gallons of tap water.

The Mayors' resolution was met with resistance from some corporate bottled water producers who argue that the "bottled water versus tap water debate" confuses customers and limits their choices.