During the early 1940's, I began to take hikes along the Little River where I usually ended up in Rosemont in a forest of evergreen trees. Times weren't great and I owned very little hiking gear, and that included a canteen. It wasn't until WWII when my uncle sent me back a bunch of German army gear that I had what I needed.
I was able to choose my backpack, mess gear and two types of canteens. This meant I could now take water with me on my hikes and use it for drinking or cooking. Campouts followed my hiking and I spent many weekends sleeping out with my high school friends. My canteens provided me with water during these forays.
After I returned from the service, I continued to hike and campout. Marriage didn't interrupt as my family joined me on my outings. Water was still very necessary and my canteens were replaced with larger versions. Decades of working with the Boy Scouts also demanded their use.
Looking back on my life, I find it impossible to imagine what we now spend for drinking water — even when the cost exceeds $4 a gallon.
Nothing comes without a cost and this shows up as a problem all around us.
The bottled water industry is a $15 billion business as we now use more than 50 billion bottles each year.
The cost is 1,000 times more expensive than tap water. We buy bottled water thinking that it comes from springs, but 40 percent of it is tap water. This isn't all bad because the Environmental Protection Agency sets the quality standard on tap water. These requirements are more stringent than those placed by the Food and Drug Administration on bottled water.
The environmental and social costs are excessive as well.
Just think of the billion dollars of water bottles that end up in our dumps each year. Each of them takes around 1,000 years to biodegrade. But to make these bottles, it takes 17 million barrels of oil annually in the United States.
It takes 2.7 million tons of plastic to make plastic bottles each year.
The bottles have to be moved — about 1 billion bottles are shipped across the United States each week. That adds up to more than 37,000 trucks to convey them. It doesn't seem like such an issue to drink water from a plastic bottle, but when you list the facts, it shows that even simple things can produce major problems.
The bottled water we use in the United States doesn't always come from within our borders.
Places as far away as the Fiji Islands sends us water and so does Europe. In the year 2006, it was estimated that 3,800 tons of pollution was put into the atmosphere conveying water from other continents. During a visit to Ireland a few years ago, we were told of a farmer who decided to sell water from his land. Everyone laughed at him, but he is now one of the wealthiest men in the country.
Most of us are not aware of the many agencies that exist that keep a close eye on the plastic bottle business. There are the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), Corporate Accountability (IBWA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to name a few.
They are very much aware of the problems they have helped to develop. The IBWA, the trade group representing the industry, has stated that companies have worked hard to reduce their environmental impact by using 40 percent lighter weight plastic, and more fuel-efficient transportation.
Still, it looks like drinking bottled water is a practice that is here to stay.
Each year the Haverhill Water Department publishes an annual report about the quality of the water it sends to us, and mails it to residents. Looking at it, we know it's a good source of water, and we should seriously consider using it in place of bottled water.
Reusable water bottles appear to be the best option. They are available in plastic, stainless steel or aluminum, and they should be cleaned regularly with mild soap and water.
The containers can be refilled at home and at water fountains. If you have to use bottled water, like when you are flying, find a way to have the empties recycled.
Life was so much simpler when I carried my own canteen and didn't have to think about using tap water versus bottled water.
Charlie Turner is a freelance columnist for The Haverhill Gazette.
