In an attempt to resolve tensions between the growing bottled water industry, an exploding population and escalating climate change issues, Ontario’s government has proposed a moratorium on bottled water.
Specifically, the government wants to ban the creation or expansion of bottled water operations fed by Ontarian groundwater for two years.
“Water bottling is a different kind of industry and we need to treat it differently,” says Kathleen Wynne, Ontario’s premier. “Thirty years ago, we wouldn’t have envisioned an industry that took water and put it in plastic bottles so that people could carry it around.”
The organization adds that the proposed moratorium would allow them to gain a better grasp on the current state of groundwater supplies in Ontario.
“With a changing climate, and specifically with the impacts from drought and increasing population growth, we want to work with the people of Ontario to make sure we are properly protecting this vital resource,” says Glen Murray, Ontario’s minister of the environment and climate change.
Moreover, the regulations would impose stricter controls on existing bottled water operations. This would include shortening the duration of permits from ten years to five years, as well as imposing mandatory reductions during times of drought.
The suggested changes are open to public comment for the next 45 days. Additionally, they will be paired with an evaluation of the prices currently being charged to bottled water companies.
