County to stop buying single-serving water bottles

Supervisor Valerie Brown’s resolution banning the use of county funds for the purchase of single-serving water bottles was approved 5-0 by the board of supervisors on Tuesday morning. A goal for the near future is eliminating the purchase of five-gallon water containers as well.
By approving the resolution, the county banned the use of county funds for the purchase of single-serving water bottles, with the goal of eliminating the purchase of 5-gallon water containers in the near future.
In addition to approving the resolution, the board of supervisors will send a joint letter to all nine cities in the county asking them to join the ban. The City of Sonoma has already informed the board of their intent to do so.
Supervisor Brown proposed this ban for three reasons: the environmental impact; water conservation; and the fiscal consequences – last fiscal year Sonoma County spent approximately $70,000 on single-serving and five-gallon water bottles.
Supervisor Brown commends the citizens of the county who have already made the transition from disposable water bottles to reusable water bottles. She encourages others to consider alternatives to the purchase of plastic water bottles, and to those who do use plastic bottles to recycle.