“Moreover, BlueTriton signifies the Company’s continued commitment as an independent business to sustainability and high-quality products and services.”
We take issue with the above statement because the water pulled from the aquifer at Ginnie Springs is not sustainable, since the river is not meeting its minimum flows and levels and these withdrawals will delay its recovery. Additionally, the water from Ginnie is not high quality as it exceeds the recommended nitrate limits set by the EPA. Tap water is likely of higher quality.
The permit recently renewed by the Suwannee River Water Management District was the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as public trust. The Santa Fe River and its springs are dying even as our water agencies give out more and more pumping permits. Nearly twenty thousand letters were received by the district board of directors asking that the permit be denied. These were not considered in the permitting process. Salt was rubbed into the wounds by the fact that the permit is for one small company to profit from the water that Florida’s citizens own, plus this permit will continue single-use plastic pollution which is already rampant in our area and in our nation.
The reckless destruction of Florida’s iconical springs and rivers is out of control and needs to be stopped.
Read the complete article here in the Gainesville Sun .
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
Nestle Water sells its bottling operations
Using Florida water controversy not over
Cindy Swirko
Gainesville Sun USA TODAY NETWORK June 16, 2021
Nestle Waters will no longer be the villain in an ongoing debate about drawing more water from the aquifer in Ginnie Springs for bottling.
One Rock Capital Partners and Metropoulos & Co. have bought the water bottling operation from Nestle including the Ginnie Springs plant.
The new corporate name is BlueTriton Brands.
Meanwhile, Eighth Circuit Judge Robert Groeb ruled Tuesday that a lawsuit related to the plant should be transferred to Suwannee County from Gilchrist County, where it was filed.
Sachs Media in Tallahassee, which represented Nestle Waters, contacted BlueTriton after a query from The Sun. The company directed Sachs and The Sun to press releases.
“Triton is a god of the sea in classical Greek mythology. Combined with the color blue, representing water, the new name reflects the Company’s role as a guardian of sustainable resources and a provider of fresh water,” a press release states. “Moreover, BlueTriton signifies the Company’s continued commitment as an independent business to sustainability and high-quality products and services.”
Metropoulos & Co. is an investment firm that has bought and sold several well-known companies, including the snack maker Hostess and the beer company Pabst Brewing.
BlueTriton is likely to get just as much opposition for bottling Florida water, particularly from a Santa Fe River system with declining water levels, as Nestle did.
Under Florida law, navigable water and the underground aquifer are considered to be owned by the state. Property owners have a reasonable right to the water at no cost for their beneficial use.
The plant gets water from Seven Springs Water Co., formed by family members of Ginnie Springs Outdoors. The bottler pays Seven Springs for water, but neither the bottler nor Seven Springs pay the state.
A lawsuit has been filed against the Suwannee River Water Management District over a new permit to Seven Springs by Our Santa Fe River, Florida Defenders of the Environment and attorneys Joe Little and Bruce Kaster.
It will test the legal right of a property owner to pump offsite to a commercial business, with both earning money from the water while the state gets nothing.
It appears that the name change is simply smoke and mirrors. The following from an article about the company’s shenanigans in CA. Shame on our elected officials for kowtowing to corporate influence. Further exacerbating causal detriments to an impaired ecosystem cannot be in the public interest. Period.
“Switzerland-based Nestlé announced it was selling its regional spring water brands in the U.S. and Canada, including Arrowhead, to private equity firms One Rock Capital Partners and Metropoulos & Co. for $4.3 billion.”
‘“We do not anticipate the sale of Nestle Waters North America to affect the enforcement action moving forward,” Rizzardo (Assistant deputy director of the Division of Water Rights, State of California) said. “While ownership of Nestle’s parent company has changed, it’s our understanding that its day-to-day operations and management has not changed.”’
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2021/04/23/california-officials-tell-nestle-halt-authorized-water-diversions/7353217002/