Editorial

Back to the bubbler

BOTTLED WATER faces a growing backlash. An elite lifestyle statement that quickly became habit for millions, plastic water bottles are lately becoming environmentally unhip. Plus, evidence suggests that brand-name water is no healthier than what comes from the tap. With good reason, many are beginning to rethink the money they spend on retail water.

Public officials can help accelerate that trend. Locally, Mayor Menino has been a consistent advocate for the municipal water he once called "Boston Ale." Given his cheerleading, it is disappointing that the city isn't doing more to encourage the consumption of municipal water by fixing the city's inadequate public drinking fountains. Adding more water fountains in parks, as well as renovating the existing fountains, is something that the city's Parks and Recreation Department and state's Department of Conservation and Recreation should make a priority.

In the over 200 parks under the city's jurisdiction, there are only 127 drinking fountains, and not all of them work. According to spokeswoman Mary Hines, the parks department does make an effort to fix the bubblers that fail to bubble, but many are old and parts are difficult to find. Meanwhile, in the roughly 23,000 acres of park lands in greater Boston maintained by DCR, there are just 40 fountains. Spokeswoman Wendy Fox says the department is considering four additional fountains on the Esplanade; it currently has six, two of which don't work. Fortunately, the Esplanade Association, a nonprofit friends' group dedicated to beautifying the Esplanade, has gotten the green light to replace current fountains with more attractive and reliable ones.

Even those who spurn bottles may hesitate to quench their thirst in city fountains, for fear the water is dirty or unsafe. Yet Boston boasts some of the cleanest water of all major US cities. And as Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham recently reported, the group Corporate Accountability International conducted a blind test taste, and few people could distinguish bottled water from tap water.

Massachusetts can take another step toward kicking the brand water habit. Expanding the 24-year-old bottle bill to require deposits on water, juice, and other noncarbonated beverages would help encourage recycling of the ubiquitous plastic containers. State Representatives Douglas Petersen and Alice Wolf have introduced such a bill. A hearing is expected early in the fall. Ultimately, though, if consumers are to switch back to tap water, it must be easy to find. So parks don't just need more drinking fountains; they also need a commitment to maintaining existing ones. Until fountains are more readily available and reliable, residents can't be blamed for carrying around expensive bottles of brand-name water.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/08/21/back_to_the_bubbler/