Janette Williams Staff Writer

Monday, August 31, 1998

So it's not the French Alps or the High Sierra.

Pasadena's own Arroyo Seco could soon be a source for the latest in designer-style bottled spring water.

For the last few months, council members have lubricated their vocal cords during meetings with specially bottled water complete with City Hall label that actually comes from a spring in Palomar.

That's one of three separate water sources mixed to create the city tap water, described by Councilman Bill Crowfoot Monday as tasting "lousy."

But now the Department of Water and Power has plans to go one step further by bottling and maybe marketing water not from Palomar but from a natural Pasadena spring.

"Right now we've got a little area in the arroyo we're trying to get designated as a natural spring," said Shan Kwan, director of the city's water services division.

"When we have the source designated, we can put 'from a natural spring' and it sounds a little better," Kwan said. "We have to go through the process with the state Health Department to have it designated, but a spring is anywhere water comes up through the ground naturally. One of our water system supervisors noticed this place that always had water coming out of it."

The present bottles were designed for use with the department's educational programs and to increase water awareness, Kwan said.

"Then someone from the city manager's office saw them and thought it would be a good idea to give to the council members," Kwan said.

"The bottled water tastes different," said Councilman Bill Crowfoot. "We ran out of bottled water at home and the water I was drinking from the tap doesn't taste like what's in the bottles on the table at City Council."

But Councilman Paul Little, who said he drinks plain Pasadena tap water at home, described it as clean, pure and tasty.

"I've also heard Pasadena water makes you live longer and look better," he joked.

One selling point Crowfoot and Little did agree on was the label.

The dramatic shot of City Hall by Pasadena photographer Tavo Olmos used for the label has caused a lot of comment, all of it favorable, said designer Dennis Salmans, president of U.S. Premium Water Co. in Santa Ana.

"We've even had other people ask to use the label and put their name on it we say no," said Salmans, whose company produced 10,800 small bottles for the city for about 20 cents each from 3,000 gallons of trucked-in water.

Crowfoot was unsure about the possible cachet of drinking Pasadena spring water.

"But in the marketing war, they have the best-looking label in the world and how many times have you gone into a wine store and picked a bottle with a label you thought looked cool?" he said.

"I tend to be a little bit fond of City Hall it's a wonderful building," Little said. "The idea of people from all over the world taking a little bit of Pasadena home has an appeal."

News-98