Water is essential for life, but increasingly, it is viewed as a
source of windfall profits. This is unacceptable; access to clean
water should not be based on who can pay the most. Food & Water Watch
opposes the commodification of water in all forms, and educates about
the importance of keeping our public water infrastructure working and
water service affordable so no home in the U.S. or abroad goes without
safe water. Bottled Water Bottled water means massive corporate
profits—and less support for our public water. Multinational
corporations like Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola sell
single-use plastic bottles – waste that ends up in landfills and
ultimately, litters our oceans – for thousands of times what it
costs to get that water from the tap. While they market bottled water
as a beverage of convenience, it’s coming at the expense of our
public water infrastructure — which has provided affordable and
convenient access to water for over a hundred years. We shouldn’t
have to rely on corporations like Nestlé for this life-giving
resource — water should be locally-managed by accountable
authorities, like democratically-elected local governments. We oppose
needlessly expensive bottled water in favor of affordable, safe tap
water. Corporate Control of Water Systems Other corporations, like
Veolia or Suez — and their subsidiaries around the world, including
in the United States — are seeking to profit off of managing local
water systems that provide our drinking water and sewerage services.
And financial institutions like the World Bank and Inter-American
Development Bank place conditions on loans to developing countries
that require privatization of water and sewer utilities and increased
consumer prices for essential services. But this is a recipe for
disaster. Profits should not be the priority when it comes to
providing water services to people, but that’s exactly what happens
when private companies take over local systems. Using Our Tax Dollars
to Support Public Water Systems Rather than let our struggling local
governments fall prey to the advances of private water operators, we
believe our federal government should continue to provide funding for
water infrastructure so that everyone in America can have access to
locally-managed, affordable, safe and clean drinking water. With many
systems advancing in age (some more than 100 years old) we need this
funding more than ever. We must renew our commitment to public water,
and make sure everyone has access to affordable water service. Take
Action: Sign our petition to support affordable, public water for all
Americans
