One of the most environmentally catastrophic and irresponsible forms of resource extraction is bottled water. Moving water, weighing in at eight pounds per gallon, to locations hundreds and even thousands of miles away that already have water is, well, impractical and illustrative of a very slick marketing scheme to sell the public something they already have.
From the Fiji Islands, to the Indus Valley to Pennsylvania water extraction has resulted in groundwater level drops so precipitous that streams have dried up irreversibly damaging local agriculture, riparian habitats and wetlands. The environmental damage has caused equally catastrophic economic consequences to local, water dependent industries.
Food and Water Watch reports
Bottled water is expensive
Americans spent $10.6 billion on bottled water in 2009 and paid up to 1,000 times the cost of tap water. And almost half of all bottled water (48.7 percent) came from municipal tap water supplies in 2009. A growing share of bottled water is now coming from tap water.
Bottled water is bad for the environmentBottled water wastes fossil fuels in production and transport. Bottled water production in the United States used the energy equivalent of 32 and 54 million barrels of oil to produce and transport plastic water bottles in 2007—enough to fuel about 1.5 million cars for a year. Rather than being recycled, about 75 percent of the empty plastic bottles end up in our landfills, lakes, streams and oceans, where they may never fully decompose.
Bottled water is not saferTap water in the United States is subject to more stringent federal safety regulations than bottled water. Federal, state, and local environmental agencies require rigorous testing of tap water safety and make test results available to the public. And despite the marketing claims of purity, independent testing of 10 different brands of bottled water conducted in 2008 found 38 contaminants.
According to The World, Commissioner Parry is looking for ways to exploit water rights. He suggests that, “… one way the county could make money from those rights would be to bottle its own brand of drinking water”. Looking for ways to bring revenue to the county should be encouraged but bottling water should not be one of them.
Please watch the video below for more information on the consequences and folly of bottling water.
Yes, it can be confusing. Under a commercial water right, once the water is diverted, as long as it is used beneficially and without waste, the law allows a profit to be made from the use of the water. It would be no different than an agricultural user making a profit from an irrigated crop or from raising cattle who drink the water. Whether the water user is a private citizen or a corporation is not something the law addresses.
yes, I realize it isn’t the same thing but they are trying to privatize public water. Apparently, once water is bottled it becomes a commodity and no longer is governed the same way
I have been involved in the Nestle situation from the start. Different situation.
Hope you are right, Ron. Learn more about Nestle in the Columbia Gorge
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_106509202705175&ap=1
Proposals to send water out of State have been discussed for the last 50 years. Bottom line is it will never happen. Oregon has laws that prevent water from even being sent outside of drainage basins within the State, sending water out of State is not something that other States can require of Oregon as a jurisdictional matter.
“Water Grab”?? What will happen when Lake Mead soon is dry? Whose northwest US water will be sent to Las Vegas and Los Angels? Pass the Oregon land grab bill soon so we may build a pipeline south for water.
I don’t know what is meant by a “Water grab”. The Water Board proposal to alter their water system has NOTHING whatsoever to do with what Coos County investigates as options for utilizing thier water rights Two entirely separate issues from completely separate entities.
How handy, the World has an article today about the increased capacity we will have once the millions of dollars of upgrades are finished to our water supply. Why are we upgrading? Perhaps Cam has gone further with his “ideas” than we know?
Nestle is trying to do the same thing in Cascade Locks, up along the Columbia River. They want to exchange icy snow melt and spring water that supplies a fish hatchery for city water. They promise new fork lift operator jobs…
I have long expected a water grab in this area. The city water is excellent and is from a protected all year round source. I almost hate to point that out because some capitalist entrepreneur may take it as a clue to attempt to privatize our water supply. This all Republican commission will need extreme monitoring to prevent the infection that seems to have become pervasive in the right wing: profitizing the commonwealth for the few. Commonwealth is a concept foreign to this group.