“Gallons” are “litres” and “while” is “whilst,” but the message at the United Kingdom’s Natural Hydration Council is the same as ours: consumers deserve to have unrestricted access to a healthy, safe, and convenient beverage choice, bottled water.

Bottled Water Bill

On September 30, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill introduced by Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes (D-Arleta) that would have mandated California bottled water companies to report to the California Department of Public Health the quantity of water used for bottling…

Water in the Great Lakes was preserved this week by the U.S. House of Representatives when it passed the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, or Annex 2001, by a vote of 309 to 25. Earlier this year, the U.S. Senate approved the measure, which now is headed into a likely signing by President Bush.

While he was to hang upside down, high in the air, for 60 hours straight, magician David Blaine appears to have taken a break during his “Dive of Death” stunt to get checked by a doctor and drink bottled water. Thanks for the endorsement, David!

International Bottled Water Association members have so far donated more than 1 million bottled water servings to assist with Hurricane Ike relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana. This number is expected to grow this week as IBWA bottlers, many of which are small mom and pop businesses, continue to dispatch their product to fulfill the growing demand for safe drinking water in storm ravaged coastal areas.

International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) President and CEO Joe Doss today presented testimony to the U.S. Senate, Environment and Public Works Committee, Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security and Water Quality’s hearing on Quality and Environmental Impacts of Bottled Water.

When hurricane season strikes, bottled water is at the top of the list for basic supplies.  And during emergencies, the bottled water industry steps in to help.  Take the case of Nestle Waters North America, which donated 302,568 half-liter bottles of Ozarka and Ice Mountain Brand Natural Spring Water to citizens and disaster relief workers affected by Category 2 Hurricane Gustav. 

From the Acton Institute:

The problem…is that the arguments of those who would ban bottled water only seem to make sense until we actually think about the likely consequences of a ban.

A tax on bottled water does not eliminate demand for the bottles themselves…To be truly effective in reducing the demand for water bottles, the government would have to tax all beverages sold in plastic bottles.