Burlington Free Press - Group urges state to dump bottled water

Vermont spent $228,874 on water for state workers in 2008

By Nancy Remsen, Free Press Staff Writer

Rep. Jim McCullough, D-Williston, joined a Boston-based corporate-accountability organization Wednesday in calling for Vermont state government to give up bottled water in favor of drinking what flows from taps.

“My personal reason is for the environment,” McCullough said, noting that bottled water comes in plastic containers and is trucked around — all very climate-unfriendly.

Cost is another factor, said Sarah Holzgraf of Corporate Accountability International. Vermont spent $228,874 on bottled water for state employees in 2008, she said. Her organization issued a report Wednesday about bottled-water use in four New England states titled “Getting States off the Bottle.”

“Public dollars spent to support private water interests robs the public water system of available dollars,” said McCullough, who serves on the House Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources Committee. “Many of these dollars could instead be spent to be sure tap water is safe.”

Peter Baker, CEO of Vermont Pure Holding Inc., countered the criticism, saying, for example, that five-gallon water containers are reusable and recycled when they wear out: “It has been that way for years.”

“We have never sold ourselves as against tap water,” Baker said. “People should drink water, period.”

Holzgraf delivered 800 petitions to the office of Gov. Jim Douglas that asked him to issue an executive order to end the state’s use of bottled water.

“Cut this out of the budget now,” she said, noting the state faces significant financial challenges.

Holzgraf argued the widespread use of bottled water has eroded not only funding but confidence in public water supplies.

“We’d like to see investments in public water fountains,” she said. “They have gone the way of public pay phones.”

Gerry Myers, commissioner of buildings and general services, said his staff looked at bottled-water expenditures 18 months ago but decided against eliminating a service employees valued.

“Should we look at it again? We aren’t against looking,” Myers said. Decisions about water traditionally have been made within departments as part of their budgets, he explained. “It’s all decentralized.”

Myers noted water fountains require plumbing, maintenance and “an awful lot of electricity.” They can’t be located as many places as bottled-water dispensers with their five-gallon jugs. The dispensers are maintained by the distributor, he added: “We don’t touch it. It is all part of the contract deal.”

McCullough said he was surprised how much was spent on bottled water. While $45,000 was budgeted, he said $228,000 was spent. Faced with a budget crisis, he said, “One of the things we are trying to do is rethink government and how we do business.”

Dennise Casey, spokeswoman for Douglas, said the bottled water in state offices is “delivered by a Vermont company that employs Vermonters.”

Although the governor welcomes a close examination of government spending, Casey dismissed the emphasis on bottled water. “I hope lawmakers are going to focus on the issues we need to tackle instead of moving the primary and bottled water,” she said. “These are distractions.”

Read the article in the Burlington Free Press here.

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