A How-to Guide for the San Francisco Restaurant Switch to Tap Water

8/14/2019 A How-to Guide for the San Francisco Restaurant Switch to Tap Water

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A How-to Guide for theSan Francisco Restaurant

Switch to Tap Water


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NowistheTimeforSanFrancisco

RestaurantstoJoinConsumersas

WeTakeBacktheTap

DearRestaurateur,

Intheinterestofprotectingourwaterresources,Food&WaterWatchandtheCityandC

ountyofSanFrancisconeed

yourhelpandthatofallSanFranciscorestaurantsandchefs.

Youcanjoinwithconsumersasweallkickthebottledwater

habitandtakebackthetap.

U.S.restaurantsandconsumersarewastingbillionsofdollars

ayearonbillionsofgallonsofbottledwater,atleastinpart

becausetheythinkitishealthierorsaferthanitscounterpart

fromthetap.Itisnot.

Luckily,theCitybytheBayisleadingtheway:theCityofSan

FranciscohaspartneredwithFood&WaterWatchonthe

TakeBacktheTapcampaignthaturgesrestaurantstohold

thebottledwaterand,instead,serveonlytapwater.

Thisguidewillhelpyousmoothlytransitionyourrestauran

t

intoservinghealthful,greattastingtapwater.

Thankyouforyourinterest,and

wehopethatyouwilljoinus

inoureffortstoprovideclean,affordablewaterforall.

Sincerely,

WenonahHauter

JaredBlumenfeld

ExecutiveDirectorDirector

Food&WaterWatch SanFranciscoDepartment

oftheEnvironment


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Why You Should Help San FranciscoBreak the Bottled Water Habit

In 2006, California consumers wasted billions of dollars on nearly 2 bil-lion gallons of bottled water in large part because advertising spin has ledthem to believe that water in a bottle is safer or better than tap water. Asmuch as 40 percent of bottled water comes from the tap.

Truth is, tap water generally is just as safe, clean, and healthful as bottledwater, and in many cases more so. The federal government requires farmore rigorous and frequent safety testing and monitoring of municipal

drinking water. The Environmental Protection Agency, which regulatestap water, requires that utility companies test municipal water hundredsof times per month, while the Food & Drug Administration, which regu-lates bottled water, requires only one water test per week by bottlingcompanies.

In fact, San Franciscos water is tested more than 100,000 times eachyear to make sure it meets the state and federal water quality standardsthat are much stricter for tap water than bottled water.

Bottled water causes many equity, public health, and environmentalproblems. Beverage companies often take water from municipal or un-derground sources that local people need. Producing plastic bottles usesenergy and emits toxic chemicals. And transporting the bottled waterspews pollution into the air, adding to global climate change.


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2 Tap Water in San Francisco Restaurants: A How-To Guide

Taking Back the Tap Helps YourPatrons Health, Our Environment, andYour Bottom Line

By turning to your restaurant tap, youllhelp consumers avoid the arsenic, mi-crobes, toxic chemicals, and other pol-lutants that tests have found in various

brands of bottled water. Whats more,chemicals, such as phthalates, could leachfrom the plastic bottles into the water.

Along with protecting consumer health,

turning to tap water could save your res-taurant big money. On a per gallon basis,tap water costs about $0.002 compared tothe $0.89 to $8.26 charge for bottled wa-ter.

Larry Mindel, whose restaurant Poggioin Sausalito serves only filtered tap water,

shared his thoughts with the AssociatedPress:

Even though he could charge diners doubleor triple what he pays for water, he saidit gives him a stab to pay so much orcharge others for something that fallsfrom the sky.

And according to Mike Kossa-Rienzi, gen-eral manager of Chez Panisse in Berkeley,in the same news article: We just decidedthis was something we had to do. It just makessense to us to not have to use all the energy andresources to bottle water in Italy and then truck it to our restaurant andthen after that deal with the recycling of it.

Giving up bottled water also helps our environment. U.S. plastic bottleproduction requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil, enough to fuel100,000 cars. And in the end, about 86 percent of the empty plastic

water bottles in the United States land in the garbage instead of beingrecycled.


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3Food & Water Watch

Serving San FranciscoWater

While bottled water has proven tobe an unreliable source of cleanwater, the city of San Franciscosdocumented water quality providesresidents with the security to drinkstraight from the tap.

According to the San FranciscoPublic Utilities Commission, thecitys major water source originates

from spring snowmelt flowingdown the Tuolumne River and isstored in the Hetch Hetchy Res-ervoir. Because this pristine watersource meets or exceeds all federaland state criteria for watershedprotection, disinfection treatment,

bacteriological quality, and opera-

tional standards, the CaliforniaDepartment of Health Services hasgranted this water source a filtra-tion exemption. In other words,the source is so clean and protect-ed that the SFPUC is not requiredto filter water from the Hetch Het-chy Reservoir.

Filtered Water for YourRestaurant?

In general, because of thehigh tap water quality in SanFrancisco, it is not necessaryto filter tap water for publicsafety reasons. The State ofCalifornia requires that every waterutility produce and distribute an

Annual Water Quality Report (alsocalled a Consumer ConfidenceReport) that includes detailed in-formation about potential contami-nants, water sources and the actual

Case Study: Incanto

Incanto is an Italian restaurantin San Franciscos Noe Valley

neighborhood. Since it openedin June of 2002, Incantohas exclusively served SanFrancisco tap water: ltered,chilled, and served either stillor sparkling in reusable one-liter carafes. Incanto made thedecision to serve San Francisco

water instead of selling import-ed bottled waters because iteliminates an awkward momentfor guests and because servinglocal water goes hand-in-handwith serving locally grown food.

Offering our guestscomplimentary

filtered San Franciscowater with theirmeal combines thebest of generoushospitality, care forour surroundings, andauthentic local flavor.What we sacrifice in

profits by not selling

bottled water, wemore than make upin increased goodwillwith our guests,

Mark Pastore, ownerIncanto


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results of testing from the previousyear. Because of its high qualitysources and rigorous testing andtreatment, San Franciscos tap wa-ter consistently meets or exceedsevery state and federal standard fordrinking water. You can view thelatest Annual Water Quality Reportfor yourself at www.sfwater.org orrequest a copy by calling the SF-PUC at 415-554-3289.

However, we understand that even

if tap water is perfectly safe todrink, you may still prefer to con-sider filtering the tap water to im-prove its taste (as a result of olderplumbing) or to reassure and allaythe fears of customers who may

worry, likely because of the bottledwater myth of purity, about tap

water safety.

Commercial-grade water filtersuse many different technologiesincluding calcite/carbon blends,Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)hexametaphosphate crystals, KDF

media, UV light, softening

resins and reverse osmosis.The different technologiesuse different techniquesto remove particles or killgerms, and some are moreeffective for certain filteringneeds than others.

Whatever technology the fil-ter uses, the most important information for you to know is whether theparticular product you are considering has been certified to remove yourtarget contaminants. And, when youre looking for certification, dont

just trust the company selling you the filter--make sure that their producthas been tested by an independent certifying agency. National SanitationFoundation International (NSF), Water Quality Association, and Under-

I drink tap water allday long.

Craig Stoll, Co-ownerDelfina and Pizzeria Delfina

Case Study: Delfna

Delna and Pizzeria Delnaare bustling neighborhood

restaurants in San FranciscosMission District. At Delna,we discontinued serving stillbottled water at the end of2006. We made the decisionto serve tap water because iteliminated the need for stor-age and disposal of excess

bottles and because SanFrancisco has an excellentmunicipal water source.

The process required noth-ing more than installation ofa simple ltration system. AtPizzeria Delna, we incorpo-

rated a simple lter/chillersystem into our originaldesign it has proven to beextremely efcient. I wouldincorporate a similar systemin any new project Im in-volved with.


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5Food & Water Watch

writers Laboratories Inc. are threewell-regarded organizations thattest and verify water treatment andfiltration product claims.

Aside from making sure your fil-ter is working on the appropriateparticles, other factors to consider

when purchasing a filter for yourrestaurant include the capacity ofthe filter, water efficiency (reverseosmosis filters are less water ef-ficient than carbon filters), and

hidden costs, such as installation,maintenance, and replacementfilter fees. In addition to tap waterfilters, you may want to look atfilters specifically designed for use

with restaurant equipment such asice makers, coffee makers and sodamachines.

Some research may be necessaryto determine what water filter bestsuits your restaurants needs. Youcan always contact a local waterfiltration and purification installa-tion company for advice and priceestimates. Just make sure to verify

licensing and certifications of wa-ter distribution operators, and beaware that the equipment mayrequire extra maintenance and in-stallation costs.

Companies

In an effort to support restaurantsin transition to serving tap water,

we have provided this list of com-panies capable of installing com-mercial filtration systems. WhileFood & Water Watch and the City

of San Francisco cannot endorse or guarantee your satisfaction withthese companies, we do hope that the list is helpful in achieving the goalof eliminating bottled water from your menu.

Our goal is to leavea smaller imprint onthis world. Were notamazing. Were thewave of the future.

Allyson Jossel

Case Study: Nopa

Nopa is a neighborhoodgathering place located north

of the panhandle of GoldenGate Park in San Francisco.

At Nopa we have been serv-ing tap water over bottledwater since our opening in

April 2006. We made thedecision to serve tap waterbecause we are a local busi-

ness wanting to utilize thelocal resources around us.The process of eliminatingbottled water from the menuwas an easy choice due tothe logistics of storing and re-cycling bottled water. Makingthe decision to serve solely

tap water has proven to be asound decision for our guestsas well as our business.

One of our biggest commit-ments to this community isto reduce the waste that weproduce in serving 300 to400 guests a night.


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Resources

For more detailed and in-depth information about the issues with bottledwater and the benefits of tap water, read our report Take Back the Tap:Why Choosing Tap Water Over Bottled Water is Better for Your Health,Your Pocketbook, and the Environment. Available at:

www.takebackthetap.org

For specific water quality questions, you can call the San Francisco Pub-lic Utilities Commission Monday through Friday between 7:30am and4:30pm at 877-737-8297, or you can visit their website at:

www.sfwater.org.

Company ContactPhoneNumber

Email Address

LifesourceFredStankus

(626) 675-6104 [email protected]

US Pure Water Corp20 Galli Dr, Ste. ENavato, CA 94949

MichaelDavis

(415) 883-9900 [email protected]

Multi-Pure WaterFiltration Systems

ChristianFredricksen

(800)420-3499

[email protected]


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7Food & Water Watch

Common Questions and Answers About Tap Water

Q: Why should I drink tap water instead of bottled water?

A: Over the course of a year, tap water costs hundreds or thousands lessthan bottled water and is just as clean and healthy as bottled water. It istested over 100,000 times a year for contaminants.

Q: How do you know whether the tap water is safe?

A: San Francisco tap water meets or exceeds all federal and state drink-ing water standards and is tested more than 100,000 times each year.The source of most of San Franciscos tap water is pristine Sierra Nevada

snowmelt that requires minimal treatment. By contacting the San Fran-cisco Public Utilities Commission, you can request a copy of San Fran-ciscos Annual Water Quality Report, also referred to as the ConsumerConfidence Report. There you can see detailed information about poten-tial contaminants, water sources and the results of actual testing. You cansee the Report at www.sfwater.org. The SFPUC, as well as some privatelaboratories, also will come out and test water if you fear a contaminationproblem.

Q: Can a filter remove chlorine and fluoride?

A: When it comes to chlorine, the answer is yes. Most water filters re-move or reduce this chemical disinfectant. On the other hand, fluoride ismore of a challenge. Typically, only reverse osmosis filters and distilla-tion units reduce or remove it.

Q: Tap water tastes funny. What did you do about that?

A: Odd tasting water does not necessarily mean that it is unhealthy orcontaminated. The taste could be due to older plumbing, chlorination orto the mineral content in the water. A commercial filtration system likeours is the best solution to this problem.


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Take Back the Tap Pledge

Key Facts:

Most tap water is just as clean and safe as bottled water.

The idea that all bottled water is pure is a marketing myth.

Plastic bottles can leach chemicals into the water.

About 86 percent of the empty plastic water bottles in the UnitedStates land in the garbage instead of being recycled.

As a chef and/or restaurant owner our business pledges to:

Eliminate the sale of non-carbonated bottled water;

Switch to serving only municipal tap water;

Help educate customers about the benefits of tap over bottled water;

Whenever possible, install a carbonation machine to make sparklingwater from the tap.

Business __________________________________________________

ContaCt ___________________________________________________

title ____________________________________________________

Phone_______________________Fax_________________________

email _____________________________________________________

street ____________________________________________________

City/state/ZiP_____________________________________________

Fax to: 415-904-8394. For more info, contact Noelle Ferdon:

415-904-8399 or [email protected]

www.takebackthetap.org


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Food & Water Watch

1616 P St. NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036p: (202) 683-2500 e: [email protected]

www.foodandwaterwatch.org

City and County of San FranciscoCity Hall, Room 200 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, CA 94102

p: (415) 554-6141 [email protected]

A How-to Guide for the San Francisco Restaurant Switch to Tap Water

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