The Water Illuminati Are Rallying Against the National Park Service’s Proposed Bottled Water Ban

Photo via Flickr user Bob B. Brown.

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US National Parks are trying to ban bottled water sales, so Big Water has geared up for a fight. Washington Post reports that the Park Service wants to ban bottles in order to fight litter and overflowing trash cans, hoping that visitors would instead opt for refillable water bottles and drinking fountains.

That seems like a pretty reasonable idea, but the manufacturing giants for Deer Park, Fiji, and Evian aren’t having any of it. They’re doing everything they can to block the ban, even lobbying Capitol Hill. Big Water claims the bill is “misguided” and will force thirsty park visitors to suck down cans of Coke and other sugary drinks instead of getting them to rely on refillable bottled water.

About 20 parks like the Grand Canyon, the Dinosaur National Monument, and Mount Rushmore have already instituted the ban, bill or no. These tourist and vacation hotspots are setting up water-filling stations in lieu of the 5,000 pounds of plastic the bottled water trash is estimated to create annually.