From the Council of Canadians;

The movement to ban or, rather, limit the sale of bottled in public places is as strong in the United States as it is here, thanks to groups
like Food and Water Watch and its "Take Back the Tap" campaign. You can read up on that campaign here:
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/bottled.

The organization (Maude sits on their board) was in the New York Times this weekend in an article about New York's various bans and other anti-bottled water measures. For instance, according to the article:

* "In September, the [Babylon] Town Board decided to pull single-serve water bottles from the town's vending machines. Instead, water fountains are being upgraded and the town is offering free reusable bottles to residents. The 20-ounce containers are made from plastic that will not leach chemicals, according to the Suffolk County Water Authority, which
created the bottles as part of its recently begun campaign to help people "kick the habit" of buying bottled water."

* "Also in September, Hempstead Town mailed its residents, along with their water bills, 130,000 brochures extolling the benefits of drinking tap water. Hempstead is also considering removing bottled water from its
vending machines."

* "In June, the New York City Council announced it would stop making
single-serving bottled water available at Council functions."

Wenonah Hauter, executive director of the Washington-based Food and
Water Watch, told the Times that "People thought they were getting a better product [in bottled water], and they feel misled."

So like with Canadian municipalities, there is a desire to promote local tap water. There is also a considerable environmental argument for the bans.

The New York Times article reports: "According to the Pacific Institute,
an environmental research organization, United States plastic bottle production consumes at least 17.6 million barrels of oil annually. Add 49 million barrels of oil to carry the process through filling the
bottles with water, transporting them and ultimately recycling of the plastic or putting it in the trash."

To read the full article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/nyregion/long-island/26waterli.html.