NEW YORK—New York City Councilman Eric Gioia has announced a proposal that could potentially save the city millions of dollars each year in spending on bottled water. He is pushing to have a bill passed quickly to save taxpayers money by reducing government spending.
“There is no reason to be paying a thousand times more to use bottled water, when New York City has some of the cleanest and best-tasting tap water in the world,” said Gioia, who is running for public advocate.
The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) has reported that government agencies in New York spend $2.1 million a year on bottled water. City agencies are providing workers with free bottles of water to avoid using tap water despite New York’s tap water being rated as one of the highest quality in the country.
City agencies have been wasting this money for years but Gioia plans to make a change. Gioia’s proposition is to ban the use of city paid water bottles in all government buildings.
New York City’s water system converts 1.1 billion gallons of fresh water into drinkable water for citizens daily. Nineteen large upstate reservoirs provide the city with a steady supply of water. The water has been converted flawlessly to a level of purity that led the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to sign a waiver allowing New Yorkers to enjoy unfiltered water.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also touted the high quality of New York drinking water.
“I’ve always thought that New York City has some of the best water around, and now we’ve got confirmation from Washington,” said Mayor Bloomberg two years ago after the EPA announcement. “This is a vote of confidence that will save our city money, and that we'll use in our efforts to spread the word to New Yorkers that drinking tap water is better for you than drinking expensive bottled water.”
Yet, ignoring the quality of the city’s tap water, the city government has spent over $2 million annually to buy bottled water. Forty percent of the bottled water being bought and distributed has been coming from the same company.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors discovered last year that the purchased water is being sold for 4,000 times the cost of using the tap water.
“This is a common sense and environmentally friendly move that will save the city money—cutting waste in the budget and eliminating waste from our landfills,” said Gioia.
Gioia’s proposal, Intro 914, is co-sponsored by Councilman Simcha Felder, and is part of Gioia’s “Watchdog Week.” The week is dedicated to making an effort to tighten up spending in New York City’s government agencies.
“There is no reason to be paying a thousand times more to use bottled water, when New York City has some of the cleanest and best-tasting tap water in the world,” said Gioia, who is running for public advocate.
The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) has reported that government agencies in New York spend $2.1 million a year on bottled water. City agencies are providing workers with free bottles of water to avoid using tap water despite New York’s tap water being rated as one of the highest quality in the country.
City agencies have been wasting this money for years but Gioia plans to make a change. Gioia’s proposition is to ban the use of city paid water bottles in all government buildings.
New York City’s water system converts 1.1 billion gallons of fresh water into drinkable water for citizens daily. Nineteen large upstate reservoirs provide the city with a steady supply of water. The water has been converted flawlessly to a level of purity that led the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to sign a waiver allowing New Yorkers to enjoy unfiltered water.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also touted the high quality of New York drinking water.
“I’ve always thought that New York City has some of the best water around, and now we’ve got confirmation from Washington,” said Mayor Bloomberg two years ago after the EPA announcement. “This is a vote of confidence that will save our city money, and that we'll use in our efforts to spread the word to New Yorkers that drinking tap water is better for you than drinking expensive bottled water.”
Yet, ignoring the quality of the city’s tap water, the city government has spent over $2 million annually to buy bottled water. Forty percent of the bottled water being bought and distributed has been coming from the same company.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors discovered last year that the purchased water is being sold for 4,000 times the cost of using the tap water.
“This is a common sense and environmentally friendly move that will save the city money—cutting waste in the budget and eliminating waste from our landfills,” said Gioia.
Gioia’s proposal, Intro 914, is co-sponsored by Councilman Simcha Felder, and is part of Gioia’s “Watchdog Week.” The week is dedicated to making an effort to tighten up spending in New York City’s government agencies.
