PORTLAND, Ore. – Sales are skyrocketing for the bottled water industry, but what are companies actually selling to customers?

In its new report "Take Back the Tap," Food and Water Watch researchers look at the booming business of bottled water, which surpassed soda in sales in 2016. The group finds nearly 64 percent of bottled water comes from municipal taps and that it cost almost 2,000 times as much as tap water and four times as much as gasoline.

Patty Lovera, food and water policy director with Food and Water Watch, says bottled water companies target demographics through advertising, especially immigrant communities.

"It is much more the norm in other countries where you have to go buy bottled water because the safety systems aren't there for tap water,” says Lovera. “That's not the case in most American cities. That's pretty predatory to convince people they need to keep spending their hard earned money to do that and undermining people's confidence in tap water."

Bottled water companies say their water actually is safer.

The report also found about 70 percent of bottles aren't recycled and that four billion pounds of plastic were used to produce bottles in 2016. That's enough to fill the Empire State Building 1.3 times.

Activists also have raised concerns that companies that do rely on groundwater are depleting people's local water supplies and hurting the ecosystem.

For a decade, Nestlé has tried to open bottling plants in the Columbia River Gorge, but failed. In 2016, people in Cascade Locks voted to ban large bottling facilities.

Lovera says the company kept trying to open a facility in the town until Governor Kate Brown killed its chances for good last year.

"The governor weighed in and basically blocked a fairly complicated deal that would have let Nestle do a water transfer to get access to build a water facility in the Columbia River Gorge,” she says. “So, it's a huge issue for communities when they see the volumes of water that would be removed."

Lovera says even though most tap water systems are safe, the country's water infrastructure is in need of maintenance, especially in places such as Flint, Michigan, and that federal funding is the best avenue for that. But she adds that it can be difficult to get support for this idea.

"It's hard to build that political will if people think that you buy water at the grocery store and you just have to go take care of it that way” she says. “We kind of undermine this sense of ownership and accountability for having a tap water system that works for everybody."


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"Don't go into the water" is a warning Illinoisans may want to heed. A 2024 study released this week found all state-border beaches on Lake Michigan last year had evidence of contamination.

Findings from the Safe in Swimming report indicate these conditions could cause serious gastrointestinal and respiratory ailments. The data show bacteria levels were well above the EPA's "Beach Action Value" water quality standards. These guidelines help determine advisories and closures.

Emily Kowalski, outreach and engagement manager for the Environment Illinois Research and Education Center, explained the odds of exposure.

"One hundred percent of those beaches had potentially unsafe levels of fecal indicator bacteria at least one day in 2024, meaning that swimmers were potentially at risk," she said.

A water sample exceeding acceptable BAV standards increases the chances of a higher illness rate among swimmers. The study shows 71% of Great Lakes beaches had at least one potentially unsafe test day. Three beaches in Cook County had the highest degrees of dirty water - Winnetka Lloyd Park had the highest at 21. Glencoe Park and Montrose beaches had 14 days each.

The study identified runoff from paved streets and parking lots, and overflow from outdated, bacteria-encrusted sewage systems as harmful contributors. Livestock waste from concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, is another source.

Human contact with water tainted by manure could cause an E. coli infection. Kowalski suggested the environment could be one solution to interrupt the pathogen flow.

"Investing in nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, but also the repair needed in aging sewage systems nationally," she continued.

An estimated 57 million Americans experience nausea, diarrhea, ear and eye infections, and skin rashes after swimming in polluted waters. Kowalski adds the EPA estimates a price tag of $630 billion over 20 years will be needed to address sewage runoff and other wastewater problems nationwide.

Illinoisans can check the status of their favorite beach at Chicago Park District Beaches website.

Following last year's historic drought in Montana and hot temperatures early this spring, the Blackfoot River is running at roughly 25% of normal water levels.

Water rights have shifted some this year but experts said management will continue to be community-driven.

Clancy Jandreau, Blackfoot water steward for the nonprofit group Blackfoot Challenge, said the river's fish population declined in the late 1980s and early 90s, but there has also been a long history of restoration efforts. The new Blackfoot Drought Response Plan, updated in April, helps build on those efforts, Jandreau noted.

"We really wanted to more explicitly recognize that habitat restoration efforts that improve fisheries can in and of itself be a response to drought, as it builds resilient fisheries," Jandreau explained.

The new plan also incorporates deferred changes from the 2015 Montana Water Rights Compact, in which the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks became co-owners of a water right historically associated with hydropower production.

During a dry summer like this one, Jandreau pointed out the drought plan encourages a "shared sacrifice for shared benefit" model, in which irrigators, anglers and other water users voluntarily reduce their effects on the resource.

"Everybody's going to be seeking the refuge of the river over this summer," Jandreau added. "That includes humans and wildlife. So just doing their best to be aware of that and being responsible and ethical recreators this summer out there on the river."


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Because of drought and failing infrastructure, the state of Texas will run out of water by 2030, according to the Texas Water Development Board.

But two new pieces of legislation are on the books that are designed to address the state's water shortage.

Senate Bill 7 and House Joint Resolution 7 would allocate $20 billion for infrastructure improvements and new projects.

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said he's been trying to get lawmakers to address the state's water crisis for 10 years.

"We completely lost our sugar cane industry because - no water," said Miller. "We've brought it to light that Mexico is not paying their water bill with our treaty on the Rio Grande, so that was brought to light. We've got a drought over half the state of Texas."

An increase in population has also contributed to the state's water woes.

JR 7 would authorize the state to use $1 billion a year from sales tax revenue for the water projects. The resolution must be approved by voters in November.

If the amendment is approved, the projects and funds will be overseen by the Texas Water Development Board. Miller said in the meantime, the state needs to do a better job at managing the water it has.

"We spend millions and millions of dollars on stormwater drainage, getting rid of excess water when it rains," said Miller. "We need to capture that water and use it. We need to capture the water out of these water treatment plants. I'm not advocating that we drink it but, my farmers sure would like to irrigate with it."

Miller said the state can also benefit from rainwater harvesting. He added that up to 70% of the state's water is lost, as it's transported to various municipalities because of old, worn-out infrastructure.




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