Bottled Water Boom May Be Over - Sales Fall For First Time In Five Years - WP

The recession has finally answered the question that centuries of philosophers could not: The glass is half-empty. That's because sales of bottled water have fallen for the first time in at least five years, assailed by wrathful environmentalists and budget-conscious consumers, who have discovered that tap water is practically free. Even Nestle, the country's largest seller of bottled water, is beginning to feel a bit parched. On Wednesday, it reported that profits for the first half of the year dropped 2.7 percent, its first decline in six years. The biggest loser? Water.

"It's an obvious way to cut back," said Joan Holleran, director of research for market research firm Mintel. "People might still be buying bottled water, but you can bet that they're refilling those bottles."

The news delighted environmentalists, who have long berated the industry for wasting natural resources and stuffing landfills with plastic bottles. "I thought we'd never be able to impact sales of bottled water, and all of a sudden it's really gained momentum," said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of advocacy group Food & Water Watch. "I think we're making real progress."

Not so long ago, bottled water was bubbling. It climbed up the ranks of America's favorite beverages in recent years, beating out juice to become the third most popular in 2008, according to Mintel. (Soda is the drink of choice by far, followed by milk.) Sales of bottled water swelled 59 percent to $5.1 billion between 2003 to 2008, making it one of the fastest growing beverages. About 70 percent of consumers say they drink bottled water.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/12/AR2009081203074.html

But that's only because all those chemicals used in corn production ruined the well there. Even run through a filtration system the tap water smells bad. Of course father would never own up to the poisoning of the water supply there.

But then, I grew up in the 60's and 70's. Glasses, faucets, drinking fountains - you know the deal.