December 29, 1999
Web posted at: 10:04 p.m. EST (0304 GMT)

From Correspondent Mike Boettcher

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Bottles of bubbly are usually jumping off the shelves in the days before New Year's Eve. But this year, it's bottles of plain water that are in demand.

One supermarket in Atlanta usually restocks its bottled water section once a day. But this week with only days to go before the year 2000 begins, store employees have had to replenish the shelves three times each day.

Across the country, there is a run on bottled water as the year 2000 -- and potential Y2K computer glitches -- approach.

With Christmas shopping behind them, Americans are stocking up on necessities.

"I can do without a shower -- I can't do without water," said one man.

"We just decided we probably would be smart to get a couple of bottles of water," explained a woman shopper.

VIDEO Correspondent Don Knapp looks at how some Americans have prepared for the possibility of Y2K disasters. (December 29) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     ALSO For more ITN millennium coverage, visit ITN on line.

"I'll probably just get some water, maybe some canned goods, just to make sure I do have something in the house in case something does happen," said another concerned shopper.

Various Y2K experts predict that some of the nation's water supplies will fail when the clock strikes midnight because of computer problems, but the water utility industry strongly disagrees.

A study, conducted by the American Water Works Association earlier this year, found that 92 percent of the nation's water systems are Y2K safe -- including every major city in the country.

Water utilities see no need to panic, but consumers seem determined to take precautions. That makes the bottled water industry the big winner.

"At the moment, we are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week at our operations to try to package water and meet demand," said Steve Bayliss of the Suntory Water Group.

The Center for Y2K and Society suggests that Americans who do feel the need to prepare use this guideline: store one gallon of water per person, per day, for 10 days.

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