Legislative Action

Vancouver may welcome wagon as alternative to bottled water - CBC

Metro Vancouver is considering a stainless steel tank on wheels, known as the water wagon, as an alternative to bottled water.

Refrigerated water would flow out of taps along the side of the tank at outdoor events. The proposal goes before the region's water committee Wednesday.

Bill Morrell, spokesman for Metro Vancouver, says Toronto has successfully experimented with a similar program.

"We considered, in fact are looking at, a range of options that would allow us to provide tap water to outdoor events where we could provide people with the opportunity to bring along a refillable water bottle rather than a plastic one and to refill it with cold, clean, potable tap water that would then obviate the need for them to go out and spend a bunch of money on bottled water," said Morrell.

Linda Tanaka, artistic director of this weekend's Vancouver Folk Music Festival, says they would embrace the idea.

"This festival has been interested in recycling and the environment way before other festivals were. We try to do whatever we can," said Tanaka.