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Lawmakers open groundwater fight against bottled water companies:
Washington state, land of sprawling rainforests and glacier-fed rivers, might soon become the first in the nation to ban water bottling companies from tapping spring-fed sources.
The proposal is one of several efforts at the state and local level to fend off the fast-growing bottled water industry and protect local groundwater. Local activists throughout the country say bottling companies are taking their water virtually for free, depleting springs and aquifers, then packaging it in plastic bottles and shipping it elsewhere for sale.
"I was literally beyond shocked," said Washington state Sen. Reuven Carlyle, who sponsored the bill to ban bottling companies from extracting groundwater. It was advanced by a Senate committee last week.
"I was jolted to the core to realize the depth and breadth and magnitude of how they have lawyered up in these small towns to take advantage of water rights," the Democrat said. "The fact that we have incredibly loose, if virtually nonexistent, policy guidelines around this is shocking and a categorical failure."
Elsewhere, lawmakers in Michigan and Maine also have filed bills to restrict the bottling of groundwater or tax the industry. Local ballot measures have passed in Oregon and Montana to restrict the industry, though in Montana, Flathead County's zoning change remains tied up in court.
"The Washington state bill is groundbreaking," said Mary Grant, a water policy specialist with the environmental group Food and Water Watch. "As water scarcity is becoming a deeper crisis, you want to protect your local water supply so it goes for local purposes. (Bottled water) is not an industry that needs to exist."
Though much of the controversy around the bottled water industry has concerned "bottled at the source" spring water sites, nearly two-thirds of the bottled water sold in the United States comes from municipal tap water, according to Food and Water Watch. The Washington state legislation would not keep companies from buying and reselling tap water.
Americans consumed nearly 14 billion gallons of bottled water in 2018, while sales reached $19 billion—more than doubling the industry's size in 2004. The bottled water industry is expected to grow to more than $24 billion in the next three years, according to Beverage Industry magazine.
Industry leaders have opposed sweeping legislation that would cut off resources, pointing out the potential hit to local employment and the importance of bottled water in disaster relief.
"This legislation would prevent any community from having these jobs or having a project in their area," said Brad Boswell, executive director of the Washington Beverage Association, who testified against the bill. "We think these issues are best dealt with on a project-by-project basis."
The International Bottled Water Association defended the track record of its members in an emailed statement. The bill in Washington and other legislation to limit the industry "are based on the false premise that the bottled water industry is harming the environment," wrote Jill Culora, the group's vice president of communications.
"All IBWA members," she wrote, "are good stewards of the environment. When a bottled water company decides to build a plant, it looks for a long-term, sustainable source of water and the ability to protect the land and environment around the source and bottling facility."
Culora did not address specific examples of community claims that bottling companies have damaged their watersheds and aquifers.
(Score: 4, Disagree) by deimtee on Wednesday February 19 2020, @12:05AM (10 children)
We have the same activist idiots trying to ban bottled water here in Oz.
It only makes sense if you legislate the same for soft drinks (soda pop to you guys). We have clean drinkable tap water here and the majority of times I use bottled water is because I want a drink when I am out somewhere, and I don't like all the suger or the artificial sweeteners. If they ban bottled water I'll just be buying iced tea or something. Same number of plastic bottles, and a fatter population.
I sometimes wonder how much funding Coke and Pepsi contribute to the groups trying to ban bottled water.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 2) by jelizondo on Wednesday February 19 2020, @01:40AM (1 child)
Coca-Cola and Pepsi Co. are among the largest [technavio.com] sellers of bottled water.
They make a larger profit selling tap water than selling soft drinks.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Wednesday February 19 2020, @03:49AM
Ah, yes. But they are not monoliths. I should have said the coke and pepsi divisions of the coke and pepsi companies.
I think you also underestimate just how cheap the syrup is. I would be surprised if the cost difference is more than a couple of cents per bottle.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by edIII on Wednesday February 19 2020, @04:15AM (2 children)
You understand my issue has nothing to do with banning bottled anything right? I'm not interested in banning bottled anything either. Regulating the plastic use, sure. If we have reasonable alternatives, we will use them. I feel the same as you, I want to in some cases, have access to bottled water. Although, I might also say, it could be better to have your own container at least. Better bringing it from home, kept cold in a thermos, then buying bottled something while you're out. That's just pinching pennies though.
The issue at play here isn't banning bottled water at all. That may be what some activists are asking for, but the issue is the source of the water. That's it. Even in this case it's more about where they are getting this water, than what they are doing with it.
They need to be kicked out of the forests and natural springs, because they have zero respect for it, and very clearly continue to harm our environment. They have no rights to drain forests on public land, and they act like they do, and their LAWYERS argue that have absolute rights to all the water they can find anywhere. Offense and ridiculous.
If these companies were reasonable, and proper stewards of the environment they are in, they would reduce their water consumption to that which is safe. X amount of water out of the forest per year, so as not to harm the trees and ecology. They are not nearly this reasonable and have literally created huge fire risks.
As you are seemingly in Australia, I think you can appreciate the anger of creating greater fire risks for communities just to make greater profit.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Wednesday February 19 2020, @07:13AM (1 child)
I know that in OZ the complaints are mostly about the plastic bottles. I just don't see how they are worse than soft drink plastic bottles.
I don't really disagree with your post, but it isn't about the consumption of water either unless they are deliberately overtaxing very small springs.
For example, the entire 14 billion gallons p.a. of bottled water use in the USA is about one twentieth of the flow of the rather small Smith River in California [northcoastweather.com]. (Pic of the river) [google.com]
Distribute that over all the companies, all the places they collect from, and how much is actually just filtered tap water and there must be more to it. They are not diverting the Mississippi, the whole lot is the equivalent of one small creek.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 2) by dry on Thursday February 20 2020, @08:52PM
I remember when pop came in glass bottles, that were reused a few times.
(Score: 2) by Mykl on Wednesday February 19 2020, @07:31AM (1 child)
Australia imports thousands of tonnes of bottled water. We also export thousands of tonnes of bottled water. The CO2 impact of all of that shipping, only to end up with a nearly neutral net position re: H2O movement.
At least with soft drink, they use local water and only export/import the syrup.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Wednesday February 19 2020, @07:54AM
Yeah I agree that's stupid, but its their choice. There is probably more wasted fuel in a single formula one race. Once again, if people want to pay for it, it's their choice. I don't buy imported bottled water, and I don't go to the races. Legislating to control personal discretionary spending is wrong.
Making the companies clean up their act and stop screwing the environment is fine, telling people they can't have water and have to drink coke or fanta is not.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday February 19 2020, @09:02AM (2 children)
Because buying plastic bottled water is the only solution or what?
Like should we congratulate the Aborigines for the discovery of the plastic bottle some 40k years ago, ' cause otherwise they would not have survived?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Wednesday February 19 2020, @09:46PM (1 child)
Why is buying a bottle of water worse than buying a bottle of soft drink?
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday February 19 2020, @10:05PM
Never said it.
I only said that one doesn't need either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford