Resolution in Support of Bottled Water Legislation

[Support of Bottled Water Legislation]

Resolution  urging the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor to adopt Supervisor Chiu’s legislation amending the Environment Code to restrict the sale or distribution on City property of drinking water in plastic bottles of 21 ounces or less, set City policy to increase the availability of drinking water in public areas, and bar the use of City funds to purchase bottled water.

WHEREAS, The City and County of San Francisco has a duty to protect the natural environment, the economy and the health of its citizens; and,

WHEREAS, San Francisco is renowned as an environmental leader as a result of the City’s adoption of cutting edge policies and its smart and strategic implementation of those policies; and,

WHEREAS, San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission tests our City drinking water over 100,000 times per year and maintains stringent disinfection treatment practices, extensive bacteriological-quality monitoring, and high operational standards; and,

WHEREAS, The people of San Francisco have an easily accessible alternative to bottled water: our tap water is safe and tastes great. Our major water source originates from spring snowmelt flowing down the Tuolumne River to storage in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Our pristine Sierra water source meets all federal and state criteria for watershed protection; and,

WHEREAS, Bottled water is expensive.  Bottled water costs hundreds of times more than San Francisco tap water.  San Francisco tap water costs less than half a penny per gallon, while, according to the International Bottled Water Association, bottled water costs, on average, $1.21/gallon; and,

WHEREAS, Bottled water is more harmful to our environment than tap. According to the Pacific Institute, the total energy required for bottled water production is as much as 2,000 times the energy needed in producing tap water and it requires three liters of water to produce one liter of water in the standard PET plastic; and,

WHEREAS, The ban on the purchase of bottled water by City Departments with City funds which was authored and enacted by Mayor Newsom via Executive Directive in 2007 is widely recognized as one of San Francisco’s exemplary environmental policies; and,

WHEREAS, While significant strides have been made in San Francisco to limit environmental damage from bottled water and support our municipal drinking water system, while providing more access to it, much more remains to be done particularly, but not exclusively, in connection with limiting the sale and distribution of bottled water and providing drinking fountains and bottle filling stations on City property; and,

WHEREAS, In February of 2012, the Port Commission and staff of the Port of San Francisco showed great leadership in adopting a balanced and thoughtful policy regarding bottled water at events on Port property, which bans the sale of such bottles except under certain circumstances; and,

WHEREAS, As part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Drink Up campaign, tap water drinking stations are being promoted and installed in over 10,000 public locations across the United States and the SFPUC is working with local businesses and schools to expand the network of locations across the City offering free tap water; and,

WHEREAS, Many activities on City property including but not limited to America’s Cup, SF Oysterfest, Earth Day, SF Chronicle Winefest, SF Beer Week and the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, have demonstrated that it is possible and economically feasible to provide safe, healthy tap water to event attendees, thus avoiding the purchase and use of more than one hundred thousand single-use plastic water bottles; and,

WHEREAS, The President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, David Chiu, introduced legislation on December 10th, 2013 which would restrict the sale and distribution on City property of drinking water in plastic bottles of 21 ounces or less, commit the City to increase the availability of tap drinking water in public areas, and codify the prohibition of using City funds to purchase bottled water; now, therefore, be it,

RESOLVED, That the Commission on the Environment urges the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor to adopt Supervisor Chiu’s legislation to phase out plastic water bottle use on City properties and promote tap water access in public spaces.

I hereby certify that this Resolution was adopted at the Commission on the Environment’s Meeting on January 28, 2014.

Monica Fish, Commission Secretary

VOTE:      6-0 Approved; 1 Absent

AYES:      Commissioners Arce, Gravanis, Josefowitz, Stephenson, Wald and Wan

NOES:     None

ABSENT:  Commissioner King