This past weekend, a major water main in Massachusetts broke, wreaking havoc on the surrounding area.  The situation is now  under investigation to figure out why a a pipe completed only seven years ago - and installed to avoid the possible failure of a 1940's-era aqueduct - burst from the underground system cutting off the water supply to two million people.

Some 100 Polar Beverage employees worked to bottle extra water and disseminate it among as many of the people affected as possible over the weekend. We commend Polar Beverages for working to ensure that the communities affected had access to a clean and safe water supply. Our members have a history of stepping up to the plate to help out in situations like this, from Hurricane Katrina to the California Wildfires and more.

Our industry also supports efforts to enhance the infrastructure of our nation’s municipal water system.  After all, we, too, are customers of the municipal water supply. But despite some common misperceptions, we are minimal water users. Although water is a key ingredient in many of our products, our manufacturing facilities actually use very little water compared to other industries. In fact the beverage industry accounts for only about one gallon out of every 3,300 gallons withdrawn from ground or surface water sources.

Despite this, our companies are dedicated to protecting, preserving and providing a safe and affordable water supply, whether that water comes from springs our through a public utility. And we strive to be efficient industrial water users; help provide access to clean drinking water in underserved communities in which we operate; support watershed protection in water-stressed areas where we operate; and help to mobilize the international community around water challenges.