Bottled Water or Tap Water?
This week I encourage everyone to take the New York Times quiz “Bottled Water or Tap: How Much Does Your Choice Matter?” (see link below). Tatiana Schlossberg, Bottled Water or Tap: How Much Does Your Choice Matter?, www.nytimes.com (Oct. 20, 2016). Most people don’t realize what a dramatic difference choosing tap water over bottled water can have on the environment. It is a simple way to make a big difference.
New York City tap water is among the cleanest and best-tasting water of any city in the word. New York City 2015 Drinking Water Supply And Quality Report, www.nyc.gov (Oct. 2016). To ensure this standard is maintained, the EPA tests its quality hundreds of times each day, adding up to over 47,000 times each year. Id. The source of NYC’s tap water is an extensive system of reservoirs that stretch for over 125 miles in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains. Id. Daily samples are gathered and tested from streams that feed the reservoirs, tunnels that transport the water from upstate to the city, and different locations in each borough. Id.
In New York, bottled water is regulated by the state, and the standard for bottled water and tap water are very similar. Cornell University Cooperative Extensions, Water Quality Information for Consumers: Bottled Water, www.waterquality.cce.cornell.edu, (Oct. 2016). However, generally more testing and inspections are done with tap water in municipal plants, than bottled water, and the results are published to the public. Id. Tap water is not only safer and less expensive, but it much more sustainable, with approximately 38 billion plastic water bottles entering landfills in the U.S. last year. Why is Bottled Water a Concer? Here are Just a Few Reasons…, www.banthebottle.net, (Oct. 2016). For this reasons it clearly is time to make the switch from bottled to tap.
