By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau
October 13, 2008 04:00 am A New York City company is bottling city tap water and selling it in stores for $1.50, but company founder Craig Zucker doesn't seem to realize that the water originates upstate. One of the logos used to promote the water is "Not from the top of some faraway mountain," even though the watershed that fills New York City's reservoirs is located more than 100 miles away in the Catskill Mountains. Tap'd NY founder Craig Zucker said that when he first came to the city in 2003 from Ohio, the tap water was better. Last year, he founded his bottled water company, which promotes itself as having a "local twist." According to the company manifesto, "Tap'dNY is a New York City bottled water company with a local twist and knack for honesty. We don't travel the world from Fiji to France seeking water or offer the usual bottled water gimmicks. We work with NYC's public water system to source the world's best tasting tap water, purify it through reverse osmosis and bottle it locally, leaving out ludicrous transportation miles. "We offer an honest and local alternative to thirsty New Yorkers, giving them a smarter choice: to drink their own (award-winning) water." Twenty-ounce bottles of Tap'd NY are available at stores in Manhattan. Delaware County Board of Supervisors Chairman James Eisel said late last month, "Imagine that. Our water is so pure it can be used right out of the tap." The New York State Department of Health announced in August that New York City won the 2008 New York State Water Taste Test at the state fair. At the time, the state health commissioner, Dr. Richard F. Daines, noted that "New York City's water comes from reservoirs in Delaware, Greene, Ulster, Putnam, Westchester, Schoharie, Sullivan and Dutchess counties." Walton's water was a state finalist this year, and Walton and Sidney have each won best overall in past contests. Diane Galusha, author of "Liquid Assets, The Story of New York City's Water System" said of Zucker, "I don't know where he thinks his water comes from." Galusha said NYC tap water travels about 120 miles via the Delaware Aqueduct to reach city faucets. Galusha added that New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Emily Lloyd has been advocating that people take advantage of New York City's good water and give up purchasing bottled water. "New York City has some of the cleanest, safest water in the country," Lloyd said in a media release. She added that the DEP works to "promote this important natural resource, encourage healthier beverage choices and reduce the unnecessary waste and environmental impacts that stem from drinking bottled water." The claim that NYC has some of the cleanest, safest drinking water in the nation was recently confirmed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which issued NYC a 10-year Filtration Avoidance Determination. New York City delivers approximately 1.1 billion gallons of drinking water to more than 9 million city residents and consumers. The water is supplied from a network of 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes in a 1,972 square-mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of New York City. A call to the Tap'd NY office was answered by a machine, and a request for a call back did not receive a response. ___ Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.
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