In this July 22, 2011 photo, Lori Girard-Pion stands by ...

Toby Talbot | published: July 24, 2011

In this July 22, 2011 photo, Lori Girard-Pion stands by the water cooler at her state office in Colchester, Vt. Vermont state officials, who announced in March that they would pull the plug on water coolers and bottled water deliveries in state offices and buildings, are reconsidering the move amid a wave of complaints from workers. Calling bottled water a waste of taxpayer money, the state had said it hoped to save up to $200,000 annually by having workers use fountains and tap water instead. They said the change would help the environment, too, since toxic chemicals go into the making of plastic water bottles and ecologically-sensitive stream headwaters areas are damaged in the process of bottling. But many state workers have since complained that the tap water in their buildings is dirty or that they’ll have no way to get clean drinking water if the state stops buying bottled water for them. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)