Update on Nestle’s Chaffee County Water Extraction Program

I found a second newspaper article about Nestle’s proposed water extraction operation in Chaffee County, CO, and though the article read a little like a Nestle press release, my interest grew when I read this comment from Michigan Environmental Attorney Jim Olsen (posted below the article):

Dear Editors: For a factual history of a Nestle’ proposed water extraction and diversion from local community, see the account from beginning to date in Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation v Nestle, www.saveMIwater.org. You will see how the facts, including the substantial harm to the headwaters of a stream and lakes affirmed by appellate courts, turned out to be just the opposite of the company’s representations.

You must demand a more thorough pump test for all possible scenarios, a hear of solid data regarding baseline flows and levels, full disclosure of all computer models and calculations, and find a hydrogeologist, like Dr. Dave Hyndman, Michigan State University, to provide independent review. Further, water is a public resource, subject to common consent of all Colorado citizens, including your community, and should not be bought and sold as a commodity without your consent, a finding of no harm, and then at a fair compensation and royalty, should it even be licensed at all. Bottled water is turning out to be a costly alternative for water services, particularly in a state that has large swings in water supplies and water conflicts.

Olsen lead the fight against Nestle’s water extraction project in Mecosta, MI – the same extraction which a judge decided was harming the watershed.

Nestle was forced to reduce their pumping rates to about half their original rate, and it’s ironic that their corporate video rebuttal to the movie FLOW (critical of their Mecosta County activities) touts the lack of an environmental impact of their reduced flow regime.

That’s a case of doing the wrong thing, fighting to keep doing it, being forced to do the right thing, then crowing about it.

chaffee county, nestle, nestle waters of north america, jim olsen, bottled water