Park Service rolls back bottled-water ban

The National Park Service on Wednesday discontinued a policy that encouraged parks to ban the sale of bottled water.

In a press release, the Interior Department stated that the 2011 policy “removed the healthiest beverage choice at a variety of parks while still allowing sales of bottled sweetened drinks.”

“While we will continue to encourage the use of free water bottle filling stations as appropriate, ultimately it should be up to our visitors to decide how best to keep themselves and their families hydrated during a visit to a national park, particularly during hot summer visitation periods,” said Acting National Park Service Director Michael T. Reynolds.

Only 23 of the 417 National Park Service sites implemented the policy, including the Little Bighorn National Monument and Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site in Montana.

The policy change is effective immediately.

Parks will continue to promote recycling and many parks provide bottle-filling stations at visitor centers and near trailheads, according to the Interior Department.