Water Technology Online - Mayors tout value of tap water

NEW YORK — Stressing the importance of one of their most important products — municipal drinking water — mayors of US cities released data this week comparing what they charge for that product with the price of single-serve bottled water, the US Conference of Mayors said in a May 1 press release.

At the meeting here of the Conference’s Mayors Water Council, the mayors said single-serve bottled water is anywhere from 1,000 times more expensive than residential tap water (in Chicago) to 4,136 times as costly as tap water (in New York City), on a cost-per-ounce basis.

They also discussed issues such as the environmental impact of bottled water and how cities’ investment in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure has a positive economic benefit, the release said.

A study done by the Cadmus Group, Inc. for the Mayors Water Council found that adding one job in local water and sewer services yields the equivalent of 3.68 jobs to support it. The study also found that every dollar invested in water and sewer infrastructure yields a savings of as much as $2.62, according to the mayors’ release.

The Mayors Water Council said this recent meeting was attended by representatives of the International Bottled Water Association and the American Beverage Association, who presented new information on industry efforts to reduce the amount of materials used in plastic water bottles and to conserve water in bottled water production processes.

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