12-11-2006 White Lake Beacon

Some say it's a done deal and why fight it, as the White River Watershed Partnership formulates the positions it'll take now that Nestlé is planning to take groundwater from headwaters of White River.

 

Members of the White River Watershed Partnership (WRWP) have a lot to think about these days as they prepare to form a position on a proposal by water bottling giant Nestlé to withdraw water from an area near the headwaters of the White River.

While the proposed project is located in rural Monroe Township in Newaygo County, north of White Cloud, concerns are that repercussions of that project flow west into White Lake, and ultimately, impact Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes basin, itself.

Tom Thompson, chair of the WRWP partnership, said the board became aware of a rumor about Nestlé’s plan in late summer, 2006, and said the partnership is studying the complexity of this issue before it takes an official position.

Dr. Al Steinman, director of Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute in Muskegon, said there are strong opinions involved on all sides of the issue of selling Michigan’s water.

“We have groups who insist no water should be withdrawn. We have groups who believe this type of industry is important, economically. We have agriculture and existing industry, like our car manufacturers, who have, historically, had tremendous needs for water.” Steinman is part of a state appointed Groundwater Conservation Advisory Council, under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The council formed three years ago and made recommendations which were implemented in legislation dealing with the sustainability of water resources.

Steinman said the council reformed in 2006 and is now developing an assessment tool to determine whether or not water withdrawals will impact on trout. That assessment tool is to be complete later this year.

Terry Swier, with the Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, said the group formed six years ago. It brought a lawsuit against Ice Mountain, and in 2006 reached a settlement agreement with Nestlé Waters North America based on arguments that the company was negatively impacting the watershed at its Stanwood facility.

“What we tell anyone where Nestlé intends to set up its business is to take pictures. Photograph evidence. We really believe our photographic evidence is what helped make our case,” she said. In the settlement agreement, Nestlé is allowed to bottle 313,000 gallons per day. The company also purchases water from the City of Evart.

Joe Catalano is township supervisor in Monroe Township, a community of about 350 residents, with about 230 registered voters.

“We are located about six miles north of White Cloud. We encompass about 10 miles of the Manistee National Forest,” he said. Like others in his community, his concerns began when he recently learned the company has been conducting studies for the past three years on property from which it intends to draw water.

“We are concerned,” he said. “We are watching with close interest to see what Nestlé intends to do at the site.” He said a public meeting is set at the township hall on Jan. 10 to hear information from Ice Mountain officials. Nestlé sells bottled water under the Ice Mountain and other names.

Ice Mountain sent a letter dated Nov. 20 to property owners near its site in Monroe Township, noting it believes it has found a sustainable source of water at the headwaters of White River.

“It has significant water resources, both underground and in the White River,” notes the letter. “This is important because a water withdrawal at this site would be unlikely to adversely affect the environment.”

The company also reports that three years of environmental information collected from the site indicates a “healthy and robust ecosystem.”

The company explains its intent to begin environmental feasibility studies on the property beginning this month.

Deborah Muchmore, a public relations official representing Nestlé, said environmental and hydrogeologic studies including fishery, flora, fauna and more, have not yet begun. She said testing is to be extensive and is to be complete before any decisions are made about a potential source for water near the White River.

“The source, if developed, would be intended as a supplemental source for the existing bottling facility in Stanwood. We are not proposing a bottling facility at this site. The studies would be done in phases, with information from each provided openly with the community and via a website.”

She confirmed the first study, which will take four to six weeks, will generate information and data to be used to develop more extensive studies in 2007, if initial environmental data indicates additional study is necessary.

Muchmore said under Michigan’s newly enacted groundwater use law, Ice Mountain must conduct studies to demonstrate that no adverse resource impact will occur, and must comply with regulations which now govern water in Michigan.

Thompson said Michigan is again a bit behind the game when it comes to deciding how best to handle water bottling requests.

“We have laws that won’t allow someone to back a 9,000 gallon tanker truck up to a spigot and drive that water across the state line,” said Thompson. “But we don’t prohibit putting thousands of gallons of water a day into one-pint or one quart containers and shipping that product all across the nation.”

With Great Lakes water levels reportedly at or near historic lows, Thompson questions whether or not it would be plausible to enforce production slow downs during times of low water cycles.

Tom Hamilton of Montague, a former U.S. fisheries biologist who is a part of WRWP, said whatever happens with Nestlé, he hopes it doesn’t slow other important work to be done within the White River watershed.

“Any impact (from a water draw) will likely be on the upper portion of the watershed,” said Hamilton. “We aren’t likely to notice any changes, here. But we do have a lot of other needs in the watershed and I am hoping this situation with Nestlé doesn’t overshadow a lot of important work that needs to be done.”