The ability to simply move a knob and immediately have access to clean drinking water, at the temperature of your choice, is an incredible technological advancement. It’s a luxury that not all Americans have, which is clear through the problems in Flint, Michigan where it was discovered that the water source was contaminated with lead and other toxins. The citizens of Baton Rouge are especially fortunate.
Baton Rouge’s tap water is among the best drinking water in the country. Our water comes from the Southern Hills Aquifer, which means it is naturally filtered groundwater. With such an excellent water supply, it’s perplexing that so many cash strapped college students choose to splurge on packaged water from the store or vending machine. A growing number of Americans are ditching tap water for bottled water, so many that bottled water sales are starting to surpass soda sales.
Purchasing bottled water is an expensive decision: bottled water can cost over 1,000 times more than tap. For Americans who aren’t fortunate enough to live in an area with high-quality, great tasting water the extra expense is worth it. But for people living in Baton Rouge, it seems like a massive waste of money.
One of the driving forces behind bottled water’s popularity is concern over the safety and quality of tap water. And with such a large price difference, most would assume that bottled water must be vastly superior to tap water, but that’s not necessarily the case. Tap water is under heavy regulation from the EPA, and public water sources are required to release an annual water quality report to consumers. Baton Rouge’s annual quality report is excellent and reported no violations in the last year. Bottled water and tap water are under similar strict regulations, and there is no proof that bottled water is cleaner or safer than tap water.
Buying bottled water also takes a toll on the environment. U.S. landfills are overflowing with millions of water bottles that take centuries to degrade. The Water Project, an organization dedicated to improving access to clean water, has some sobering statistics for anyone concerned about the impact on the environment. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of used water bottles are never actually recycled. Only one in five will actually be recycled, and making new bottles of water consumes over 1.5 million barrels of oil a year.
While bottled water can be more convenient for the average college student, reusable water bottles can be purchased for less than five dollars. The University has done an excellent job of installing water fountains that are compatible with reusable water bottles to make this an easy option for students.
We live in an area where the water from our sinks is the same quality as the water people pay for daily. We should take full advantage of that convenience for the sake of our environment and our wallets.
Osie Evans is a 20-year-old English junior from Natchitoches, Louisiana.