Out with bottled water, say King County officials.

County government last week joined other jurisdictions around the country by banning the purchase of single-serve bottled water.

Under legislation approved June 9 by the County Council, single-serve bottled water will be allowed among county empoyees in cases where there are no “reasonable alternatives” for access to safe drinking water, such as employees working outside. The legislation does n’t restrict the purchase of large-bottled water for water coolers.

Basically, said Councilman Dow Constantine, tap water is good enough – and better for the environment and budget.

“King County’s cities and water districts provide some of the best drinking water in the nation, so why are we buying expensive bottled water?” asked Constantine, the prime sponsor of the ban. “If we are asking citizens to moderate their environmental impacts, we must ensure that county government is leading the way. This ordinance is one step in that direction.”

Constantine said producing a single one-liter plastic water bottle itself 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 from some sources costs one-third of one cent per gallon.

Similar policies for the governments of the cities of Seattle and San Francisco affect only their executive branches. King County’s legislation extends to all county agencies.