River lovers take a stand against bottler

03/30/07 By Jeff Alexander jalexander@muskegonchronicle.com

A citizens group formed to protect the White River is taking a stand against Nestle Waters North America's bid to pump spring water from a site near the headwaters of the state-protected trout stream.

The White River Watershed Partnership recently adopted a resolution expressing its opposition to Nestle or any other company "mining" water from anywhere along the river system.

According to the resolution, a large scale water withdrawal from the watershed could endanger the river's trout and other fish species, lower water levels in White Lake, disrupt recreational activities and undermine efforts to protect the river. The White, the southern-most trout stream in Michigan, is one of 16 designated natural rivers in Michigan.

"If our goal is to help protect the river and the resource, and you look at our group's mission statement, we just felt like we had to do this," said Tom Thompson, chairman of the White River Watershed Partnership.

Nestle spokeswoman Deb Muchmore called the group's stance on the water withdrawal proposal "premature." She said the company won't even decide whether to seek state approval for the project until Nestle's studies show whether water can be withdrawn without harming the river.

"Results of scientific studies recently initiated are not back yet for determining whether the water drawn from a test well at the site complies with U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations for bottled natural spring water, and whether a withdrawal of the amount that we would likely propose can be done safely and without adverse environmental impacts," Muchmore said.

"Our confidence in assuring ourselves and communities that water resources will be plentiful and safe starts with these studies," she said.

Nestle is the world's largest food and bottled water company, with 75 different brands of water bottled in 37 countries. Based in Switzerland, the company bottles water in Michigan under the Ice Mountain label.

Nestle wants to pump spring water from a site in Newaygo County's Monroe Township. The company has not yet submitted a formal proposal to pump spring water from the White River watershed, but has made its intentions known to local officials.

The proposal has generated intense opposition among many residents in the White River watershed.

If eventually approved, Nestle's project could result in the company pumping tens of millions of gallons of spring water from the White River watershed each year. That water would be trucked 25 miles to Nestle's Ice Mountain bottling facility in Stanwood and eventually sold across the Midwest.

Nestle opened its controversial Ice Mountain bottling facility in Stanwood in 2002. The company bottled 226 million gallons of Ice Mountain water last year. All of that groundwater, which comes from wells in rural Mecosta County and one of Evart's municipal wells, was extracted from the Muskegon River watershed.

The company's Stanwood water bottling operation sparked a lawsuit over water rights that has made its way to the Michigan Supreme Court. The controversy also led to the passage in 2006 of Michigan's first water withdrawal law.

The state law was aimed at preventing diversions of Great Lakes waters to other areas of the nation and world. The law prohibits diverting Great Lakes water out of Michigan via pipes or tankers, but allows companies to ship an unlimited amount of water out of the state, provided it is in containers smaller than 5.7 gallons.

The White River Watershed Partnership urged state officials to revamp the law to remove the bottled water loophole.

Because there is so much water in Michigan, state and industry officials -- and some conservationists -- claim it is possible to extract large quantities of water from lakes and river systems without harming fish populations.

Others reject the notion.

The White River Watershed Partnership resolution said Nestle's proposed water withdrawal "could negatively impact the ecosystem in ... unforeseen ways."