Good for the Goose, but not the Gander?

City pays big for bottled water: S.F. spends half a million a year, spurns Hetch Hetchy's product

San Francisco, owner of a pristine reservoir in the Sierra Nevada with a reputation for producing some of the country's best-tasting tap water, has spent more than $2 million of taxpayers' money in the past 4 1/2 years on bottled water, public records show.

From the mayor's office in City Hall to the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, city employees and politicians enjoy individual bottles and jugs from the water cooler even though in many cases a faucet is nearby.

Among the thirstiest departments and agencies in San Francisco during the city's last fiscal year: Public Health, which spent $139,926 on bottled water; the Municipal Railway, which spent $65,780; and San Francisco International Airport, which spent $65,670, according to the records.

The article continues:

Even the city's Public Utilities Commission -- which performed a blind taste test on the street during National Drinking Water Week last May to convince people that tap water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park is at least as good as the stuff at the store -- spent $8,622 on bottled water.

Aside from the fraud, waste and abuse of this, I am equally disturbed by other implications this article produces.

Really think about this.

Why would a public utility tasked with the responsibility of producing clean drinking water for the community not drink that very water?

Isn't that like a Domino's pizza franchise owner catering in pizza Hut's pizzas for his employees every week? Does that make sense??? Does that say anything about the franchise owner's opinion of his own product?

Water utility officials who don't drink their own water means something... and one might speculate upon a broad range of reasons for why that is the case.

Simply outrageous...

:shk:

[edit on 28-1-2006 by loam]

Because it's frisco.

One of the most liberal democratic cities in America and home to the sierra club.

Typical of the liberal mindset.

Typical strawman from dave as per usual.

I'm guessing that no matter how good the water tastes, flouride and chorine at any level is just not good for the body? Becvause they don't want to poison themselves?
Whenthe city doesn't try to dump a month's worth of chlorine in a week, my town's water is some of the best tasting water around, so I've been told. Personally, I don't drink it. I drink either Blue Springs water or Nantze Springs water.

[edit on 28-1-2006 by Thomas Crowne]