The U.S. Conference of Mayors Examines the Importance of Municipal Water

NEW YORK, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The U.S. Conference of Mayors convened today in New York City a joint meeting of the Mayors Water Council and the Municipal Waste Management Association, an environmental affiliate of the Conference, to examine new information on the economic and public health benefits of local government investment in municipal water and sewer infrastructure and services. Albuquerque (NM) Mayor Martin Chavez and Fayetteville (AR) Mayor Dan Coody, Co-Chairs of the Mayors Water Council, were joined by Cuyahoga Falls (OH) Mayor Don Robart, Vice-Chair of the Mayors Environment Committee, in leading the discussion. The mayors assembled a series of panels including environmental, sanitation and water Commissioners from several U.S. cities, water experts and bottled water industry leaders.

The meeting was held in response to a municipal water resolution adopted in June of 2007 at The U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. The resolution, titled The Importance of Municipal Water, directed the Conference of Mayors to compile data on the importance of local government investment in municipal water and sewers and to examine how bottled water contributes to solid waste.

A growing number of cities such as San Francisco, Albuquerque, Minneapolis, Seattle, etc., have adopted bans on the purchase of single-serve bottled water by their city departments since 2007, citing concerns about the cost of bottled water and its impact on city budgets, as well as and bottled water’s contribution to solid waste.

   —  Even the cheapest bottled water from city retailers and grocery stores       can cost from 1,000 to over 4,000 more times per unit volume than       municipal tap water (see Table below).   —  Recycling rates of PET plastic, the petroleum-based material used to       produce most water bottles, has declined over the past decade while       bottle water consumption has risen considerably.   —  While water bottles make up a relatively small proportion of the       entire solid waste stream, they amounted to over 827,000 tons of scrap       PET in 2006.   

The Cadmus Group Inc., working in concert with the Mayors Water Council, found that investing in drinking water and sewer systems only yields positive returns. While the returns vary depending on existing local infrastructure, generally a $1 increase in spending on water and sewer infrastructure yields a savings of as much as $2.62. Cadmus’ research also shows that adding one job in water and sewer services on the local level can lead to 3.68 jobs in the national economy to support that one water or sewer related job.

Representatives from The American Beverage Association and The International Bottled Water Association attended the session and presented new information on industry efforts to reduce the amount of materials used in plastic water bottles and water conservation in bottled water production processes.

The participating mayors are available for interviews upon request.

A Price Comparison Between Municipal Tap Water and Commercial Bottled Water

   City, State   Average       Average      Grocery Purchase  How Many                 Residential   Residential  of Single-Serve   Times More                 Tap Water     Tap Water    Bottled Water*    Does Bottled                 Rate ($ Per   Rate ($ Per  ($ Per Ounce)     Water Cost                 1000 gallons) Ounce)                         Than Tap                                                              Water?    Fayetteville, AR    2.81      0.000022      0.023            1,045.45    Phoenix, AZ         2.73      0.000021      0.028            1,333.33    Los Angeles, CA     2.39      0.000019      0.030            1,578.95    San Diego, CA       3.14      0.000025      0.030            1,200.00    San Francisco, CA   2.79      0.000022      0.030            1,363.64    San Jose, CA        1.34      0.000010      0.035            3,181.82    Philadelphia, PA    2.18      0.000017      0.030            1,764.71    San Antonio, TX     1.70      0.000013      0.033            2,538.46    Chicago, IL         1.33      0.000010      0.010            1,000.00    Urbana, IL          1.31      0.000010      0.042            4,200.00    Detroit, MI         1.66      0.000013      0.018            1,384.62    Minneapolis, MN     3.53      0.000028      0.111            3,994.00    Albuquerque, NM     1.36      0.000011      0.013            1,181.82    New York City, NY   2.70      0.000021      0.116            4,136.90    Cuyahoga Falls, OH  2.38      0.000019      0.025            1,315.79    Dallas, TX          3.06      0.000024      0.049            2,041.67    Houston, TX         2.88      0.000023      0.031            1,347.83    Seattle, WA         3.99      0.000031      0.083            2,677.42    * Based on 12 ounce, 16.9 ounce and 20 ounce single-serve containers   

Source: The United States Conference of Mayors, May 1, 2008, Washington, DC

U.S. Conference of Mayors

CONTACT: Elena Temple of the United States Conference of Mayors,+1-202-861-6719, etemple@usmayors.org