• The Daily Herald, Wednesday, August 22, 2007 11:30 AM

A town in Washington state sells millions of gallons of water every year to companies that pour it into bottles and jugs, slap on brand names, and then sell it to consumers.

PepsiCo's Aquafina -- the nation's most popular bottled water brand -- gets its water from the tap. Three other companies also bottle water from municipal sources, according to the Washington Department of Agriculture, which regulates the bottled-water industry in the state. Much of the bottled water sold in stores, 25 percent to 40 percent, according to government and industry sources, is tap water -- sometimes treated, sometimes not.

Aquafina had been using "P.W.S." on its labeling which stands for "public water source," but now has clarified that it is actually "A Municipal Source." Corporate Accountability International is taking credit for forcing Aquafina to label that its water is coming from public water sources.

Water bottlers are subject to regular government health inspections, but aren't required to publish specific sources of their water, although the FDA has talked about the possibility of similar disclosure requirements.

Read the whole story at The Daily Herald »