01/07/07 Muskegon Chronicle Article

 

Producing Ice Mountain bottled water

1. Pump spring water, which is free, from underground aquifer.

2. Pipe or truck water to bottling facility in Stanwood.

3. Filter water with carbon and ozone to remove any impurities.

4. Put water into bottles.

5. Truck bottles to stores; sell for about $1 per bottle.

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Water by the numbers

27 billion: Gallons of water that flow into Michigan's groundwater each day.

730 million: Gallons of groundwater in Michigan pumped out of the ground daily.

594 million: Gallons of groundwater pumped daily to provide drinking water for Michigan residents.

80: Percent of water in Michigan streams that comes from groundwater.

5: Percent of water entering Lake Michigan that comes from groundwater.

3: Michigan's rank nationally in surface water area.

15: Michigan's rank nationally in total water use.

25: Michigan's rank nationally in groundwater use.

33: Michigan's rank nationally in per capita water use.

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Nestles's Ice mountain bottling facility in Stanwood, by the numbers: 226 million: Gallons of water used annually.

172 million: Gallons of spring water bottled annually at maximum production.

249 million: Production capacity of other groundwater wells (non-spring water) at Ice Mountain bottling site.

$253 million: Ice Mountain sales in 2005.

$150 million: Cost to build Stanwood bottling plant in 2001.

717,742: Square feet in bottling facility.