ALBANY — Let them drink from the tap!
That was the message Gov. Paterson delivered to state workers yesterday as he ordered government agencies to stop buying and using bottled drinking water, a move he said would save money and help improve the environment.
State agencies were directed to develop plans to provide employees with other sources of water, most likely from ordinary spigots, fountains and dispensers.
Paterson provided no estimate on how much the state now spends on bottled water, and his aides said they were still researching the question.
“Taxpayers have spent billions . . . to ensure that we have clean drinking-water supplies,” Paterson said.
“If we are going to make such significant investments, we should reap the benefits and use that water.”
Paterson called bottled water “wasteful,” noting that it requires large amounts of energy to bottle and transport and to dispose of the containers.