Every bottle of Ice Mountain water tells a story.

The ubiquitous Midwest brand symbolizes the convergence of global capitalism and local politics and raises fundamental questions about the future of a precious natural resource.

In Michigan, Nestle Waters North America extracts vast amounts of groundwater to feed consumer demand for freshwater in convenient plastic bottles. The cost it pays for that liquid raw material? About $200 per facility in minor state clerical fees.

That extraction has inflamed passions in a water-rich, conservation-minded state that has nonetheless been rocked by serious drinking water infrastructure problems.

How can a multi-national corporation like Nestle get the water it bottles in Michigan at practically no charge? Does the groundwater Nestle pumps from the headwaters of two spring-fed trout streams affect the health of those natural resources?

Those are two essential questions surrounding Nestle’s application to increase groundwater withdrawal from a well near Evart, which the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) approved amid howls of public protest last year.

Dive deep into the legal, moral and practical questions surrounding Nestle’s water sourcing in MLive’s new video series, “How We Got Here," and learn more in the stories below.

How Michigan water becomes a product inside Nestle’s Ice Mountain plant

Michigan township votes to continue court battle with Nestle

More pumping could harm wetlands, suggests Nestle’s own study

In Detroit, Nestle holds private roundtable on future of water

Why Nestle really wants more Michigan groundwater

Whitmer proposes $120M for Michigan drinking water