In June 2007, the Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom issued an executive directive to permanently phase-out the purchase of bottled water by the city and county of San Francisco. This Directive is taken in response to the growth in purchases of bottled water and its rising environmental impacts.
See here for the Directive itself. The mayor's Executive Directive runs as follows:
Beginning July 1, 2007, there will be a prohibition from any city department or agency purchasing single serving bottles of water using city funds, unless an employee contract specifies usage. This prohibition will apply to city contractors and city funded and/or sponsored events. There will be no waivers from this prohibition. By September 30, 2007, all city departments and agencies occupying either city or rental properties will have completed an audit to determine the viability of switching from bottled water dispensers to bottle-less water dispensers that utilize Hetch Hetchy supplied water. City departments will work with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), Department of Real Estate (DRE) and the City Purchaser to conduct the audit. Staff from the SFPUC will contact you shortly to begin the audit for your department. By December 1, 2007 all city departments and agencies occupying either city or rental properties will have installed bottle-less water dispensers that utilize Hetch Hetchy supplied water. Waivers will only be granted by the SFPUC based on legitimate engineering, health and fiscal concerns.
The Directive also refers to a report by the US Container Recycling Institute entitled Water bottles cause waste details of which can be found on the FCRN website here.
You can find a comparison of the environmental impact of bottled vs tap water attached below.
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