Part II: On Plastic

What’s Up With Bottled Water??? 

Let’s look at some facts, real facts:  Bottled water for example is water taken mainly from municipal sources or streams and bottled and sold for more than you would pay for your town water.  In Ridgewood, residents buy Belmar spring water, which is Ridgewood water, as the description: Belmar Spring Water rises “from a deep underground spring located beneath our protected land. It’s bottled and delivered right away, ensuring the fresh, crisp taste.”    

This deep underground spring is in fact our aquifer, the same aquifer from which we draw our own tap water.  It is good water, but why pay extra for our own water? 

In addition, most bottled water is not tested as completely as our own municipal water.  Yes, because of the chemicals dumped into water and slowly passed on, chemicals used for Teflon pans, fireproof clothing, etc. we do have to add treatment.  This is the price we pay for chemical companies’ blind drive for profits, we have to add more chemicals to protect our water system.  Bills in Congress as NJ are addressing the liability of these companies (mainly DuPont, 3M, etc) so that we don’t have to pay millions of dollars to make our water safe to drink. 

And a third point:  companies like Poland Spring make deals with communities which in some cases (Fryeburg Maine) result in water shortages for residents! 

Just one survey of any supermarket finds shelves of plastic bottled water; just a short walk along any sporting field or park you can see thousands of bottles just tossed in garbage or left in parks, etc.  .  

If any resident has any questions about the quality of our tap water here in Ridgewood, the director of Ridgewood Water, Richard Calbi, will be happy to answer.  Further, each year the Water Department mails out a detailed report on exactly what is in the water, ratios, all information.   

As we said in the previous article, yes, there sometimes is a “bleach-type” smell when the water comes out of the faucet.  This is because now-banned substances still leach into our aquifer, and bleach is the required treatment.  Just leave your glass on the counter for a short while, or put a container in the refrigerator and the water will taste great.  At least we know where our water comes from and what is in it!  That is what keeps us safe and healthy.   

Some residents filter the water when it comes out of our tap, and that is fine, many prefer the taste.  But it is our water, not a private for profit owner, it is our community, our testing, and our accountability which gives us a sense of security. 

So drink up with Ridgewood Water!  And get rid of the plastic water bottles, please!  Your waterways filled with sea creatures and beach and park cleanup crews will thank you for this.