Student group aims to wean PSU off bottled water

Following a model that the City of Portland implemented years ago, the Portland State student organization Take Back the Tap has been working on a plan to eliminate all bottled water sold and used on campus.

Bottled water creates a significant impact on the environment and the economy, according to Professor Catherine Howells. This is the reason city officials decided to replace bottled water with pitchers of water from the tap at all meetings and functions.

Howells teaches a senior capstone class about water management and usage. Students in the class collaborate with the Portland Water Bureau to inform citizens about the water in Portland and the dangers of bottled water.

More water goes into the process of making the bottle than goes inside the bottle itself, Howells said. In addition, bottles inevitably end up in the waste stream and require more water and energy to recycle when they are done being used.

Howells gave an example of the irony inherent in the bottled water industry. Coca Cola owns the bottled water brand Dasani, which has a plant in Wilsonville and pumps water from the Willamette River. Tap water in the city of Portland, on the other hand, comes from the Bull Run Watershed, a pristine and well-protected river and tributary system.

Moreover, Howells added, there is no regulatory body governing the production of bottled water. Bottlers add minerals while refining the natural minerals that are already in the water.

“You just don’t know what you are drinking,” Howells said.

Lisa Meersman, a co-coordinator of the PSU chapter of Take Back the Tap, has been working to implement multiple programs to make it easier for students to drink tap water.

“We are currently working with student groups to get all student events free of bottled water, and we are working with ASPSU to pass a resolution through the [Student] Senate to discontinue the use of PSU funds for the purchase of bottled water,” Meersman said.

Take Back the Tap is responsible for the nine reverse-osmosis tap water refill stations located around campus, and are in the process of installing 14 more.

Unlike bottled water, tap water is regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency through the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The University of Portland banned bottled water one year ago. There are no vending machines, and students fill up their reusable water bottles at taps around campus, Howells said.

In addition to the ecological stance against bottled water, there is also economic recourse to the bottling of water.

“Companies like Nestle will move into an area and pump the natural water supply,” Howells said. Over time, this depletes the normal water level and affects the water supply.

According to Howells, bottled water costs up to a thousand times more than tap water.

Getting student participation is the most important step in the process of making the change from bottled to tap water, Meersman said.

“Through taking small steps and reaching out to as many students as we can in our education and outreach campaign, we plan to change behaviors on campus,” she said.

Howells stressed the importance of the group’s campaign.

“I support this effort because we should celebrate how great our water is,” Howells said.

Portland Water District delivers water to 20 percent of the state’s population, and each year it uses only about 10 percent of Bull Run water at any given time.

Howells said Nestle, the parent company of a plethora of bottled water brands, has been trying to move into Cascade Locks for years. However, there is resistance to its bid to tap the Columbia Gorge well water, especially from the watchdog organization Food and Water Watch. ?