Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Nestle to Reduce Muskegon River 70 Million Gallons Annually

The following is taken from a letter from Terry Swier, President of the Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation:

    "Many of you may have seen or heard of Sunday's article in the Muskegon Chronicle "Bottler aims to take more from rivers" written by Jeff Alexander and picked up by the Associated Press. Nestle has asked the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for permission to pump 70 millions gallons of spring water a year from the headwaters of two trout streams near Evart, MI in Osceola County. If approved that would reduce the annual flow of the Muskegon River by 70 million gallons. The DEQ is suppose to make a decision in January and then it will take public comment. All members of MCWC will be asked to comment.

    Nestle has also found its way into Newaygo County's Monroe Township on the west side of the state. Nestle had been collecting stream data for three years before the public learned of its plans. The well site is located in the southern portion of Monroe Township at the headwaters of the White and Pere Marquette Rivers. Nestle began drilling a monitoring well on Friday and will probably seek approval to pump spring water from that site. The White River ranks among Michigan's best trout streams and is a state designated "Natural River". Will this give the White River more protection than other rivers in MI?

    According to Nestle's geologist at the Stanwood Ice Mt. plant, Nestle is looking at two other sites in Newaygo County and two sites in Wexford County. If all future locations where Nestle is collecting stream flow data are approved this will bring the number of Nestle sites in Michigan to eight."


These guys think they have the right to take what is ours and sell it back to us at a ridiculous price. Don't be that stupid. It's water! Only a complete fucking idiot would pay $1.29 for something that falls out of the sky. Nestle does not own the waters of the state of Michigan, you do.

What can you do?

Boycott! The process of stopping alll this begins with you. Refuse to buy Nestle/Ice Mountain bottled water and let the stores that sell Nestle/Ice Mountain know that you will not shop there until they remove it from the shelf.

Write a check! Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation needs your financial support NOW! Please visit their website at www.savemiwater.org. There's a button on the bottom of the page clearly marked "Make a Donation."

Write letters of protest to Governor Granholm, to the Director of DEQ Steve Chester, and the Michigan Legislature.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So its just fine to buy water if you add a bunch of sugar, artificial flavor, and preservatives (any soda or other beverage) but not ok to buy clean pure water? How stupid are you?? Bottling water uses much less water in processing so overall has a much smaller effect on our environment. Lobby for something that makes sense - require a deposit on the plastic bottles. That is the ONLY negative with bottling water.

Jerome Alicki said...

I never said it was "fine" to buy soda. I don't buy soda at all anymore. Haven't bought one in years. Corn syrup is poison. I do not support Coke at all. The only beverage I buy in bottles or cans is Pabst.

I said "Boycott Nestle/Ice Mountain" specifically. The cumulative effect of bottling tens of millions of gallons of water is the reduction of the aquifer. The industry is NOT sustainable. They are pumping water out faster than it is getting replaced. Get your head out of the sand and see the larger picture. Think decades into the future when homeowners in Mecosta County cant get water out of their wells. Add in the effect of climate change on the Great Lakes - every computer climate model shows that central and eastern michigan will be significantly dryer by the end of the century. It's not about YOU, this is about the future.

I'm sure you don't believe me, so maybe you should do some research on what is happening to the aquifer underneath San Antonio, Texas.

Then there is the staggering amount of plastic shit bottles that you want to put a deposit on. Think about NOT MANUFACTURING those fucking plastic bottles in the first place. THINK about the enormous amount of energy that is used in creating, distributing, and recycling and landfilling those bottles. Think about the oil that has to be purchased from the middle east to produce those bottles. Think about the toxic off gasing of those bottles as they decompose over decades. Think about the enormous amount of fuel that is used to transport those bottles to stores in diesel trucks. WHAT A COLLOSIAL FUCKING WASTE OF GAS.

This issue is far greater than Michigan. Folks in other countries are also boycotting Nestle and Perrier for their policies. In some areas of Brazil, Nestle has bought up all the water rights and forces villagers and farmers to buy water at incredibly high prices which eventually leads to farms going bankrupt and people losing their land. Do you think that's a good thing? YOUR purchase of Nestle products supports these policies.

I'm sorry you don't agree with me, but I'm right and you're wrong. WAKE THE FUCK UP.

Anonymous said...

I represent a company that works with bottlers of soft drinks, food, and yes even juice plants in Michigan that make the amount of water that Nestles withraws seem totally insignificant. How about boycotting all the companies in Michigan who use more water than Nestles. You would have a pretty long list and find it difficult to do your shopping. It seems to me that thoughtful regulation is a better approach and using your resources on this issue would be much more beneficial approach.

Jerome Alicki said...

yes, my list is huge. the number of companies that I refuse to financially support is substantial. There are so many corporations that are moving in the wrong direction, so many people who seem hell bent on ruining everything for the rest of us. Thank god there are alternatives to so much of the crap that is on the grocery store shelves. My shopping is fine thank you, I'm sure I spend quite a bit less than most who buy all the toxic schwag large corporations are selling. Don't assume that I am ignorant, I research products before purchasing them. I know what is in the food I buy, and I know where it comes from. I never buy soft drinks, sorry. I believe they are responsible for a big chunk of the obesity problem in this country and honestly, fat people suck.

Thoughtful regulation is exactly what folks who are opposed to Nestle are trying to accomplish. But how do you thoughtfully regulate a multinational multi-billion dollar conglomerate that refuses to follow common sense? They are the quintessential 300lb gorilla that has just entered the room.

And what resources are you referring to? I'm just one guy with a computer, nothing else, and I have the right to voice my opinion on any issue I see fit. If you don't like it, feel free to read something else.