California County Bans Bottled Water and Water Coolers

It's tap water only for government employees in Sonoma County, California.

Elected officials there have banned bottled water and water coolers from county government buildings out of budget and environmental concerns. The move will save the local government $70,000 annually, according to local press coverage.

As in most places, Sonoma County has a glut of plastic bottles in its landfills. Only about 20 percent of plastic bottles are recycled; the rest are trashed, according to the newspaper.

While water dispensers are an environmentally responsible alternative to bottled water, Sonoma County supervisers voted to get rid of them, too, to save $45,000 annually, in cooler rental and water fees.