Outrage ensues as Michigan grants Nestlé permit to extract 200,000 gallons of water per day
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) granted Nestlé Waters North America, Inc. (Nestlé) a permit to increase its groundwater withdrawal for the purpose of bottling drinking water, according to a MDEQ statement on April 2.
Nestlé is authorized to begin withdrawing water at a rate up to 400 gallons per minute from the White Pine Springs well located near Evart, Michigan. Withdrawal may begin once the monitoring plan is in place and the baseline data is collected.
The MDEQ determined that the application met the requirements for approval under the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act.
However, more than 80,000 people have said they oppose the proposal, while only 75 people said they are in favor of it.
As Nestlé works to extract more clean water resources, residents in Michigan cities, most notably Flint, struggle to find what they believe to be affordable, safe water.
“The scope and detail of the department’s review of the Nestlé permit application represents the most extensive analysis of any water withdrawal in Michigan history,” C. Heidi Grether, director of MDEQ, said in the statement.
Nestlé met the requirements to produce bottled drinking water if the water is from a new or increased large quantity withdrawal of more than 200,000 gallons of water per day from the waters of the state under the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act.
"We have made a long-term investment in Michigan, and we take great care to operate in a responsible and sustainable way to preserve and protect our shared water resources and the surrounding environment for generations to come," the statement said.
Nestlé has to prepare a monitoring plan consistent with the requirements of the permit and submit it to MDEQ for consideration and approval.
“In full transparency, the majority of the public comments received were in opposition of the permit, but most of them related to issues of public policy which are not, and should not be, part of an administrative permit decision,” Grether added in the statement.
Flint water crisis: Mayor vows to explore legal options after Michigan governor halts free bottled water for residents
2 years after the State of Emergency was declared: Flint suffers in aftermath of lead, water crisis
What's in your H2O? Experts share how to identify contaminants, drink tap water safely
The government cannot base their decisions on public opinion because their department is required to follow the rule of law when making its determinations, according to Grether.
The Nestlé approval was announced just days before Michigan ended its free bottled water program in Flint on Friday, April 6, according to a press release by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.
Four years ago, Flint city officials elected to switch the city’s water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. This caused lead to leach into the city’s water supply, sickening many residents.
Snyder first recognized the problem two years ago. Officials have since been working to replace the city’s water pipes. A state aid package provided for the free water bottle distribution while officials worked to resolve the problem.
The press release claims the water quality has been restored in Flint.
Testing has showed the levels of lead in the city's water have been below the federal limit for nearly two years. The water's quality is "well within the standards," Snyder announced Friday.
However, some residents don't believe that the water is safe to drink or use yet.
Hundreds of protesters traveled by bus from Flint to the state capitol in Lansing on Wednesday, April 11, one day after the final four Flint water distribution sites closed. The protesters demanded action.
Residents chanted about Nestlé in their protests, as Nestlé was recently approved to increase the volume of fresh water it currently pumps for bottled water. Flint residents claim their water is still unsafe, according to local media reports.
Michigan residents against Nestlé’s request to steal more water: 81k.
Michigan approved Nestlé's permit. Flint residents still pay for poisoned water.
Thanks intnl community for not bombing us as punishment for defying democracy + poisoning our citizens. — Lee Camp [Redacted] (@LeeCamp) April 23, 2018
Just 4 days after ending bottled water distribution in Flint, Michigan officials approved Nestlé’s permit to pump freshwater for just $200/year. Instead of allowing Nestlé to take even more drinkable water at a huge discount, Michigan should focus on ending the #FlintWaterCrisis. — Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 21, 2018
Nestle can now pump 250 gallons a minute of our water to sell across the U.S, yet residents of Flint will now have to buy their bottled water. The pipes in Flint still aren’t fixed and the state is giving away our clean water to the highest bidder.https://t.co/9IqKnTXhLp — Debbie Stabenow (@stabenow) April 21, 2018
Nestlé has responded to the Michigan outrage with a "Committed to Michigan" page on their website, including a "Know the Facts" section. The section states facts about the situation, such as that the water they "use is naturally replenished through the water cycle."
"We're dedicated to making healthy, made-in-Michigan products while supporting our communities and caring for the state's most precious natural resource for years to come," Nestlé said in a tweet on April 10.
This is not the first time that Nestlé has sparked water wars in the United States, such as in Cascade Locks, Oregon, in 2015 and Cabazon, California, in 2004.
On Thursday, April 26, Snyder applauded Republican State Representative Larry Inman for introducing a bill that would invest $110 million annually to help rebuild the state’s water infrastructure, according to a press release.
“Providing Michiganders with access to safe drinking water and protecting our environment is paramount, and Representative Inman’s legislation recognizes the importance of these protections,” Snyder said in the press release.
<section><h2>Do you believe that Michigan should allow Nestlé to withdraw groundwater?</h2></section><section><h2>Yes.</h2></section><section><h3>No.</h3></section>
Stratiform on April 30th, 2018 at 19:08 UTC »
This will be buried and I understand /r/news isn't always the best place to be objective, but putting my partisan bias aside, I had the opportunity to chat with one of the experts on this situation a couple weeks ago about this, and learned some interesting stuff. I don't want to put any spin on this, so I'm only repeating my understanding of what I was told.
There is a total of ~20,000,000 gallons of water per minute (GPM), permitted to be extracted within the State of Michigan. Nestle will be increasing their extraction in one well from 250 GPM to 400 GPM, bringing their statewide extraction rate to about 2,175 GPM. Nestle is approximately the 450th largest user of water in the state, slightly behind Coca-Cola. Nestle won't pay for the water, because water is, by statute, not a commodity to be bought and sold within the State of Michigan, or any of the states and provinces within the Great Lakes Compact. Since it is not a commodity, it is a resource. This protects us from California or Arizona from building massive pipelines to buy our water as our natural resource laws prevent this. Residents also don't pay for water, rather we pay for treatment, infrastructure, and delivery of water, but the water itself is without cost. The state denies lots of permit requests, but this request showed sufficient evidence that it would not harm the state's natural resources, so state law required it to be approved. The state law which requires this to be approved can be changed, but due to the resource vs. commodity thing that's probably not something we want.So... there's some perspective on the matter. It was approved because the laws and regulations require it to be approved if the states wants to continue treating water as a natural resource and not a commodity.
Baslifico on April 30th, 2018 at 18:09 UTC »
I believe you mean "Snyder first admitted the problem two years ago."
ani625 on April 30th, 2018 at 17:00 UTC »
Fucking wonder why..