Tap Water in Arlington, Part 1 of 3
On a hot summer day, nothing beats an icy-cold bottle of water. However,’ buying a single-use bottle of water is not necessarily the best choice for’ both your wallet and our environment. ‘ Here in Arlington, a group of citizens recently formed Tap In Arlington, a’ grassroots effort aimed at educating people about the environmental and financial’ costs of single-use plastic water bottles, and to explain that tap water’ is safe, accessible, and virtually free.
Tap water in Arlington costs less than one cent per gallon while the cost of ‘ a gallon of bottled ‘ ‘ water is about one dollar. Although plastic water bottles’ are recyclable, only about 30% of plastic ‘ bottles are recycled according to the’ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ‘ And manufacturing ‘ bottled water uses a lot of water and energy. According’ to research done by the Pacific Institute in ‘ 2009, authors Peter Gleick’ and Heather Cooley found bottled water is up to 2000 times more ‘ energy intensive’ than tap water. Estimates for water used during the manufacturing’ process ‘ indicate that close to three liters of water are used for every one liter’ produced.
Many who drink bottled water are concerned about taste and quality. A’ number of organizations and companies have conducted taste tests and the’ results show definitively that people can’t tell the difference between bottled’ and tap water. In terms of quality, tap water must meet much more stringent controls. Tap water is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection’ Agency and every local utility providing drinking water must provide an’ Annual Water Quality Report. This’ report must include any violations’ of drinking water quality standards.
Recognizing there are individuals’ with concerns about what’s in tap’ water, it’s still a safer bet to filter’ and drink tap water than to buy’ bottled water. Since bottled water’ is regulated by the Food and Drug’ Administration, which has no’ reporting requirements, you can’ never be sure what you are drinking. ‘ For those concerned, there are’ many, relatively low-cost household’ filters available that can remove’ virtually any contaminant. Check out Consumer Reports Water Filter Buying Guide for more details.
Stay tuned for the next installment on Tap IN!