Abundant Waters

All life requires water. God sustained the Hebrews on their long journey through the wilderness with morning dew and artesian wells from stone. Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman and asks her for water from the well. Without her sharing of water Jesus would have remained thirsty, yet with the water Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of God. Today water is abundant for some and scarce for others. Multinational corporations are moving toward privatizing water supplies, removing public control of water and threatening to turn water into a privately traded and managed commodity. Public water systems help ensure public access to water for all people while private water supplies may be sold to whoever can pay for water access at the present price. In caring for all people we are called to serve by maintaining access to basic commodities such as water.

Tap water

For most people in the United States, locating potable water is as easy as turning on the tap. Tap water offers a safe, clean and inexpensive option for drinking water. Verify your water quality and safety by reading your annual water report. Most of these reports are available online through the Environmental Protection Agency. Tap water is regulated by the EPA and carries stringent guidelines, so it is generally safe to drink without further filtration. If you have any concerns about your water quality or safety contact local officials and consult your annual Consumer Confidence Report on water quality.

Bottled water

Bottled water is an unnecessary expense for Americans who have access to safe tap water. If you live in an area with an EPA regulated water supply (which includes almost every municipal water supply), there is no reason to drink bottled water. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a number of great resources regarding bottled water and water privatization.

Bottled tap water

A significant portion of the bottled water sold in the United States is nothing more than tap water bottled in another city, such as Aquafina and Dasani. As municipal water supplies are bottled and sold to consumers in other areas, the local water supply dwindles. Often bottled tap water is ambiguously marketed as purified or filtered water.

Water safety

Bottled water can provide necessary relief to areas where water is unsafe to drink, but this is not the case for most Americans. Privately bottled water does not have to meet the same standards as municipal water. Municipal water is under EPA regulations that maintain tougher standards on water contaminant levels than the FDA, which oversees bottled water. As a consumer you are far less likely to get sick from drinking municipal water than bottled water due to the difference of standards.

Privatization

Bottling water privatizes water supplies and removes this precious commodity from one area of the planet to ship it to another. Large multinational corporations are purchasing water supplies to mark up and sell to consumers. Municipal water is governed and controlled by the people. However, corporations control privatized water and people have little to no say as to the costs and regulation of private, corporate controlled water. Companies can increase the price of the water as they see fit.

Plastics

Plastic bottles generally are not recycled. Eight out of every ten bottles of water winds up in a landfill as opposed to a recycle bin, thus increasing our pollution and our nation’s oil consumption drastically. Plastic bottles take up a tremendous amount of space and require centuries to break down. Recent studies on certain types of plastics, especially polycarbonates, indicate that the bottles may be leaching potentially harmful chemicals into the water.

Fossil fuels

Bottled water requires a tremendous input of fossil fuels. Oil is used to create plastic for the bottles. Gas is consumed transporting the water from the bottling plant to consumers around the world. Care for God’s creation by refusing to use bottle water.

Bottle your own water

Rather than purchasing bottled water, bottle it yourself from your tap. Use and reuse a glass, metal or plastic reusable bottle to reduce your waste and support water as a public resource and commodity. Personalize your bottle with stickers or other decorations. If you have a family, decorating water bottles can be a great activity to teach kids about responsible water consumption.

Take a pledge

Take a stand against all the negative impacts of bottled water and sign a pledge to avoid bottled water. Organize families, churches and municipalities to avoid bottled water. Encourage workplaces to remove bottled water from vending machines. Together we can preserve creation by eliminating the wasteful and unnecessary consumption of bottled water.