City to stop buying bottled water

City offices will stop buying bottled water by the end of the year, Mayor Greg Nickels' office said Thursday.

Nickels ordered city offices to switch exclusively to tap water for drinking water at public facilities and events. The Mayor's Office said "kicking the bottle" is better for the city budget and the environment. Last year, the city spent about $58,000 for bottled water for city offices and events, Nickels' office said. Officials in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Ann Arbor, Mich., previously restricted spending of city money on bottled water.