MIAMI — A majority of about 250 mayors at a US Conference of Mayors June 23 meeting here passed Resolution 70, “Supporting Municipal Water Systems,” and the move is drawing both support and opposition.

The national resolution calls for US mayors to phase out regular use of bottled water for municipal employees and at city functions. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was a sponsor of the resolution, as WaterTech Online™ reported. It also was backed by non-profit consumer advocacy group Corporate Accountability International.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who wrote the resolution, said in a June 24 BevNet.com report that cutting civic spending on bottled water is fiscally responsible. He added, “Our public water systems are among the best in the world.”

El Paso, TX, city spokeswoman Julie Lozano said in a June 24 El Paso Times article that Mayor John Cook was not able to attend the meeting, but that he supports the resolution. She added, “City Manager Joyce Wilson has restricted department heads from purchasing bottled water for their employees.”

Elsewhere, the vote is drawing criticism. The American Beverage Association said in a June 23 statement that the US Conference of Mayors embraced “‘sound-bite environmentalism’ over sound public policy by passing a resolution discouraging the use of bottled water by city government, rather than address the more pressing economic and pocketbook issues burdening American families.”

The International Bottled Water Association also opposed the resolution. In a June 23 statement, the group said, “The resolution is riddled with erroneous statements and errors about bottled water regarding its comprehensive regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), varied product costs and the industry’s minimal use of natural resources. … The resolution is not in the public interest and could discourage consumers from drinking bottled water. …”

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