Regarding the story "Water wars" (Business & Money, Sept. 18):

Greater Boston spends 1,364 times the cost of perfectly good tap water for Pepsi's Aquafina bottled water despite indistinguishable differences. At $6.82 per gallon, Aquafina is twice as expensive as gasoline. If there's no difference in taste or content, and bottled water is actually less regulated than tap water, why do roughly one out of six Americans drink bottled water? And why did the volume of bottled water sold in this country double over the past 10 years?

According to the most recent statistics, in 2002, bottled water corporations spent $93.8 million portraying their products as healthy, pure, and superior to tap water. This aggressive advertising has misled people into thinking that bottled water is cleaner and safer that tap water, and people have begun to accept paying outrageously high prices for water.

Bottled water corporations like Pepsi, Coke, and Nestle are seeking to transform water into a commodity that can be sold for profit to the highest bidder. Instead of buying into this approach, people should be demanding that our public water systems be well-maintained.

KATHRYN MULVEY
Executive Director
Corporate Accountability International
Boston

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