Hood River County voters have said yes to a measure that would effectively block Nestle Waters' plan to bottle water in Cascade Locks by banning large water bottling operations in the county.

Partial returns Tuesday showed the measure winning with 68 percent of the vote.

The measure's backers celebrated with cheering and speeches in Hood River, while a Nestle spokesman expressed regret while noting "we respect the democratic process."

Nestle for seven years has sought a way to bottle water from Oxbow Springs, which gurgles out of hillside just outside the Columbia River Gorge town of Cascade Locks.

The company hopes to build a $50 million bottling plant at the town's port, where 100 million gallons annually of Oxbow Springs water would be bottled under the Arrowhead brand. Additional Cascade Locks municipal water would be sold under the company's Pure Life brand.

But the plan has faced opposition from the start, despite widespread support among the town's leadership. Measure 14-55 was the latest wave of backlash in a yearslong battle.

Julia DeGraw, an organizer for Food and Water Watch, a national group leading the Nestle opposition in Oregon, called Tuesday's victory "proof that voters are smart."

"When you talk to them about something as crucial as their water, which is necessary for an agricultural economy, right after they have a drought, there is not enough misinformation the opposition can throw at voters to make them buy it," DeGraw said.

Critics oppose Nestle on environmental and ideological grounds. Some argue against the waste inherent in selling water in plastic bottles, while others say Nestle's plan amounts to privatizing a public resource for corporate profits.

Some target Nestle specifically as a bad actor that exploits small, economically depressed communities while failing to deliver on promises of financial salvation. Members of the Warm Springs tribe, who consider Oxbow Springs a sacred site, say state leaders could be violating their tribal treaty rights by agreeing to let Nestle take the spring's water.

Nestle's supporters, meanwhile, see the company's interest in Cascade Locks as a much-needed win for a community that has struggled for decades to fill the economic hole created when Oregon's timber industry contracted. Water, they argue, is one of the city's few abundant resources.

Nestle's proposal to trade water for jobs and, eventually, property taxes (the city expects to provide tax abatements), sounds like a solid deal to them. The company expects to employ up to 50 people, and once it begins paying property taxes, the revenue will nearly double Cascade Locks' property tax base.

Debora Lorang, who spearheaded a group that fought the ballot measure, noted a significant portion of Cascade Locks voters opposed the measure.

"We want to be able to repair our town infrastructure," Lorang said. "There was a brown-out yesterday for no good reason."

It's unclear what the election loss means for Nestle. Aurora del Val, leader of the Local Water Alliance, which sponsored the ballot measure, said she expects Nestle to sue. DeGraw expressed confidence that the measure is legally-defensible.

"It was written knowing full well we were going up against he world's biggest multinational food and beverage company," she said.

In a statement Tuesday, Nestle spokesman Dave Palais said company leaders are "disappointed," but gave no hint of the company's plans in Oregon.

"While we firmly believe this decision on a county primary ballot is not in the best interest of Cascade Locks, we respect the democratic process," he said.

Lorang, meanwhile, cautioned that the fight over Nestle's right to set up shop in Cascade Locks "ain't over 'til it's over." She raised legal questions about county voters' ability to weigh in the city matters.

"We could still see this be overturned in court," she said.

--Kelly House

503-221-8178; @Kelly_M_House