King County might ban its agencies from buying bottled water while at work.

In an effort to reduce what it calls environmental impacts and to save money, the County Council is considering an end to the purchase of single-serve bottles of water.

The council’s General Government and Labor Relations Committee last Thursday gave preliminary approval of the new rule, which requires a full council approval, tentatively set for June 9, before taking effect.

Councilman Dow Constantine, prime sponsor of the proposal, said producing a single one-liter plastic water bottle consumes three liters of water, and producing the 31 million bottles of water Americans purchase annually requires 17 million gallons of oil. He said tap water is cheaper.

The proposed ordinance would restrict the purchase of single-serve bottled water by county departments, except when there are no reasonable alternatives for drinking-water or for employees working outdoors.