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Michigan residents have only a few more days to express their views on letting Nestle, a foreign company, to expand its capability of pumping millions of gallons of pure water from Michigan’s aquifer for a mere $200.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has a public comment period regarding Nestlé Waters North America, Evart, Osceola County, for a proposed increased large quantity water withdrawal made under Section 17 of the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, 1976 PA 399. Comments will be accepted until March 3, 2017.

Written comments can be emailed to deq-eh@michigan.gov

Nestle To Expand Pumping Water Further



Nestlé announced a $36-million expansion at its Ice Mountain bottling operations in Stanwood, in Mecosta County, on Oct. 31. In a state still reeling from the Flint water crisis, the Swiss company would get nearly free access to pump 210m gallons a year for its bottled water business.

The Nestle Takes Michigan Water proposal to increase pumping from 150 gallons a minute to 400 gallons a minute from an aquifer underneath the plant is part of the expansion of the bottled water operations in Michigan. The company has already increased pumping to 250 gallons per minute, an increase for which no permit was required.

Related Reading

Sources

Detroit Free Press

Michigan DEQ

The Guardian