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The U.S Conference of Mayors
Mayors Water Council
Municipal Waste Management Association
Resolution # 90
The Importance of Municipal Water
New York City
May 1, 2008
2007 Resolution # 90
Importance of Municipal Water
Reasons
• Cities are responsible for providing safe and affordable water and sewer
• Local government spends $82 billion per year for water and sewer
• US consumers spend $11 billion/yr for bottled water
• At least 25% of bottled water is from municipal tap sources
• Bottled water costs 1,000 to 10,000 times more than municipal tap water
• Transport of bottled water incurs emissions of CO2 and other air
pollutants
• Production of plastic bottles in the US requires utilization of 1.5 million
barrels of oil per year
Enough energy to:
provide electricity for 250,000 households
fuel 100,000 cars per year
• Plastic water bottles are one of the fastest growing components of the
municipal waste stream
2007 Resolution # 90
Importance of Municipal Water
Resolve
USCM ENCOURAGED to compile information on:
The Importance of Municipal Water
The Impact of Bottled Water on Municipal Waste
A Price Comparison Between Municipal Tap Water and Commercial Bottled Water
City, State
Average Residential
Tap Water Rate
($ Per 1000 gallons)
Average Residential
Tap Water Rate
($ Per Ounce)
Grocery Purchase of
Single-Serve Bottled
Water
($ Per Ounce)
How Many Times
More Does Bottled
Water Cost Than Tap
Water?
Fayetteville, AR
2.81
0.000022
0.023
1,045.45
Phoenix, AZ
2.73
0.000021
0.028
1,333.33
Los Angeles, CA
2.39
0.000019
0.030
1,578.95
San Diego, CA
3.14
0.000025
0.030
1,200.00
San Francisco, CA
2.79
0.000022
0.030
1,363.64
San Jose, CA
Philadelphia, PA
1.34
2.18
0.000010
0.000017
0.035
0.030
3,181.82
1,764.71
San Antonio, TX
1.70
0.000013
0.033
2,538.46
Chicago, IL
Urbana, IL
1.33
1.31
0.000010
0.000010
0.010
0.042
1,000.00
4,200.00
Detroit, MI
1.66
0.000013
0.018
1,384.62
Minneapolis, MN
3.53
0.000028
0.111
3,994.00
Albuquerque, NM
1.36
0.000011
0.013
1,181.82
New York City, NY
2.70
0.000021
0.116
4,136.90
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
2.38
0.000019
0.025
1,315.79
Dallas, TX
3.06
0.000024
0.049
2,041.67
Houston, TX
2.88
0.000023
0.031
1,347.83
Seattle, WA
3.99
0.000031
0.083
2,677.42
WATER AND WASTEWATER
INFRASTRUCTURE
Water Infrastructure Investment is Critical
► Local/National Economy
►Public Health
Public Safety
Environmental Quality
Sustainable Communities
Mayors Water Council
Public Health
Social Rate of Return from Investment in Filtration/Chlorination
1900 – 1940
• infectious disease know as the “Urban Penalty”
• 40% reduction in mortality rate
• 1% reduction per year
• life expectancy at birth rose from 47 to 63
Cutler and Miller, Harvard Study
Mayors Water Council
IN 1900
• waterborne infectious disease accounted for about 25% of
all infectious disease deaths
IN 1940
•
¾ decline in infant mortality
• ⅔ decline in child mortality
Mayors Water Council
Causal Factors
• Nutrition
• Hygiene- public education (hand & food washing)
• Large scale public health innovations
– clean water technologies filtration/chlorination
• Not mutually exclusive
Mayors Water Council
Water systems are expensive, but their public
health benefits appear to be substantially
greater
Conservative assumptions:
• Rate of return to clean water technologies
is about 23 to 1
• Range for major urban centers
$7 to $40 for every $1 invested
Mayors Water Council
Conservative assumptions:
Cost per person-year saved is about $500 in
2003 dollars
Includes:
• avoided health care costs
• increased life span
• Increased productivity