14 Twin Cities restaurants join tap-water brigade

Fourteen Minneapolis and St. Paul restaurants on Wednesday signed pledges to reduce the use of bottled, non-carbonated water and promote city tap water in an effort to cut down on plastic and glass waste. "Water is a basic human right, not a commodity to be bought and sold," said Amber Collett, the Midwest organizer for Corporate Accountability International, whose Think Outside the Bottle campaigns already are underway in Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, St. Louis and Chicago. Twin Cities restaurants that will honor the pledge include Annie's Parlor, Barbette, Birchwood Cafe, Bryant Lake Bowl, Red Stag Supperclub, Restaurant Alma and Sapor in Minneapolis and The Lexington and Cafe Amore in St. Paul. Signing the pledge wasn't easy for Birchwood owner Tracy Singleton. "I don't like telling people that they can't drink water from a bottle," she said, "but I do want to make them more aware of it. Maybe they'll think about it when they're in the grocery store." The move is seen as part of a continuing fight between municipal public works departments and corporate America. Heavy advertising by Coca-Cola (Dasani), Nestle (Ice Mountain) and PepsiCo (Aquafina) have turned bottled water into a $10.8 billion-a-year industry in the United States, with demand growing 8 percent a year. Some consumers believe bottled water is superior to tap water, but Minneapolis officials test city water for more than 100 contaminants and conclude it is of very high quality. For example, a filtration system in Columbia Heights, which serves 500,000 residents in Minneapolis, Golden Valley, Crystal, New Hope and Columbia Heights, exceeds federal water quality standards for removal of impurities.

Promoting city water

Until bottled water sales erupted, public officials never imagined they would have to promote plain, old tap water with their own PR campaigns, said Jeremy Hanson, spokesman for Mayor R.T. Rybak. This year, the city of Minneapolis has about $200,000 in its budget to promote city water. One selling point from the city's website: A resident can refill a bottle 2,850 times with Minneapolis water to equal the price of a single 79-cent bottle of store-bought water. The campaign to promote tap water aims to get residents and businesses to reduce waste. Even though many people recycle the plastic or glass bottles, the mission is to prevent the waste in the first place, whether it's recycled or not, said Susan Hubbard, CEO of Eureka Recycling in Minneapolis. But even eco-conscious businesspeople like Hubbard don't believe consumers should blindly assume all tap water is safe. People have a distrust and suspicion of water, regardless of its source, she said. Not all bottled water is bad, and sometimes public water is unsafe.

Pipes can contaminate water

Minneapolis water is a very good product, said Bill Scott, vice president of Premium Waters, which bottles Chippewa Springs water, based in Minneapolis. But sometimes deteriorating water pipes can carry contaminants. If residents are told to run the tap for 60 seconds before drinking, that's a concern, Scott said. Common Roots cafe owner Danny Schwartzman avoided serving bottled water in his restaurant even before signing the pledge. He serves filtered tap water, which many restaurants already use. Schwartzman also plans to install a carbonation machine so he can serve sparkling water without the bottles. His cafe, which specializes in local and organic foods, only serves tap beer in its attempt to virtually ban the bottle. (Organic bottled wine being one exception). What will customers think? Jennifer Nowlan of Minneapolis said she buys bottled water for convenience on the go, but she's willing to give it up in the restaurant. "It's cheaper, and I like the taste of Minneapolis water," she said.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633