Mayors Call for Support of Municipal Water, Study of Bottled Water Impact - Corporate Accountability International - Challenging Abuse, Protecting People - Think Outside the Bottle


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Mayors Call for Support of Municipal Water, Study of Bottled Water Impact
Minneapolis, San Francisco and Salt Lake City Mayors Press Resolution with Fellow U.S. Mayors

For Immediate Release
June 22, 2007

Contact:
Gigi Kellett: (617) 320-5845 — by cell in Los Angeles
Patti Lynn: (617) 695-2525

Los Angeles — At the upcoming meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Salt Lake City Mayor Ross “Rocky” Anderson, and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will introduce a resolution for other U.S. mayors to vote on that highlights the importance of municipal water and scrutinizes the impact of bottled water on city waste.

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 between what cities need to spend on water infrastructure and the money available to them. Last year, at least four billion pounds of plastic bottles end up in city waste streams. It can cost cities more than $70 million in dumping and incineration costs, not including the costs of collection, trucking and litter removal.

“Many people have become convinced that bottled water is safer and healthier than tap water. The reality is that public water is actually better regulated,” said Gigi Kellett with Corporate Accountability International. “The explosive growth of bottled water consumption also increases the waste disposal costs for municipal governments. We need to know what the overall impacts of bottled water are in our communities to make sound decisions for our spending and our environment.”

There is growing momentum in cities across the country to cancel bottled water contracts. Most recently, Ann Arbor announced that it would no longer have bottled water available at city sponsored events. Restaurants are also joining in, proudly serving municipal tap water in lieu of bottled water.

“Momentum is building all across the country in support of our public water systems,” added Kellett. “We congratulate these mayors on their leadership and for introducing a resolution that places the political will of mayors behind full support of municipal water. It is a critical step toward keeping our public water supply strong.”

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Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a membership organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world. For over 25 years, we've forced corporations -- like Nestlé, General Electric and Philip Morris/Altria -- to stop abusive actions. For more information visit www.stopcorporateabuse.org.