Cross-posted from Envirovore

Branching out from now-blasé plastic bag bans, Seattle has banned city purchases of bottled water.

Officials in Seattle say they’re motivated by economic and environmental reasons - as well as regional pride in their water supplies. Seattle’s tap water comes mainly from rainfall and melting snowpack from two protected watersheds.

The city predicts it will save $58,000 of public money by asking (okay - telling) city employees to drink from the tap, which costs pennies on the dollar compared to eight bucks a gallon for bottled water. In addition, the city won’t be contributing to the massive fossil fuel use in transportation of or waste disposal problems associated with plastic water bottles.

City employees don't need to worry about the safety of tap water - municipal water supplies are continuously tested against at least one hundred federal EPA standards; but standards are merely suggested by the FDA for bottled water.