BOSTON (WHDH) - Financial records indicate that Massachusetts’ tab for bottled water has his hit nearly $200,000 since July. The shocking use of taxpayer money has prompted advocates to call on lawmakers to turn on the taps to help save thousands of dollars.
“It makes no sense to purchase and throw away water bottles,” Janet Rothrock told the State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Committee. “First of all, they are expensive. A one-liter bottle costing $1.50 is 1,850 times as expensive as a liter of tap water.”
Rothrock, a resident of Concord, voted in 2012 to ban the sale of single-serve bottled water in her town. She said Concord’s culture has changed since the decision, with more water fountains installed and pitchers of water with paper cups a common sight at municipal meetings. Now, Rothrock hopes the Massachusetts State House will adopt a similar policy.
Rothrock, and Clint Richmond of the Massachusetts Sierra Club, appeared before the committee on Wednesday to ask that its members support a bill to prohibit the use of state dollars to buy bottled water “for use in facilities that are served by public water supplies or potable well water, except when required for safety, health or emergency situations.”
“This is a wasteful use of taxpayer money, and secondly it can be unhealthy. Bottled water is tested only by the manufacturer, test results are not made public, and water sold within its state of origin is not required to be tested,” Rothrock said.
The bill was proposed by Framingham Rep. Chris Walsh, but only has a handful of supporters at this time.
Bottled water spending and related equipment rental costs totaled $192,215 from the July 1 start of the fiscal year through Oct. 19, according to the state’s Open Checkbook database.
Richmond told lawmakers that a switch to tap water provided by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority makes sense because it provides “some of the best tap water in the country.”
Water bubblers were removed from the building in 1987 over concerns about water quality, according to Sen. Jamie Eldridge.
In fiscal 2017, spending on bottled water topped $1 million.
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