This does not bode well for our Santa Fe River. Nine years ago, OSFR board member Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson took issue with the then Coca Cola bottling plant and Suwannee River Water Management District, expressing her concerns.
At that time SRWMD succinctly poo-poohed her emails, saying there was no threat. Merrillee predicted the status of “impaired waterway” quite correctly, notwithstanding the drivel put out by SRWMD.
Time has borne out the truth of her predictions, and now we will see if our water management board is able to manage this. Based on past actions, they will not. With the river now impaired, they issued a renewal last year for the bottling plant permit, and continue issuing new permits.
Their non-protection is resulting in the death of the Santa Fe River.
The following press release is from Nestle Waters.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
-A river is like a life: once taken, it cannot be brought back-
Nestlé Waters North America Purchases Bottling Facility in High Springs, Florida
To Press Releases listJan 8, 2019STAMFORD, Conn. – Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) announced today that it has acquired a bottling facility in High Springs, Florida from Ice River Springs Marianna LLC. The 300,000 square foot facility will be NWNA’s third manufacturing location in Florida, including its operations in Madison and Pasco counties. The transaction closed on December 28, 2018, and there will be a brief mutually agreed upon post-close transition. Purchase terms were not disclosed.
“We are evolving our operations to better support the future needs of our business and position the company for long-term success,” said Alex Gregorian, Nestlé Waters North America Executive Vice President, Technical and Production. “This strategically located facility will enable us to more efficiently serve current and future customers of our popular Zephyrhills® Natural Spring Water and Nestlé® Pure Life® bottled water brands. We look forward to being a part of the High Springs community.”
I wonder if any of their water is tested for quality. As mentioned above, for nitrates, or for bacterial organisms, considering the sewage spills from Georgia into the Withlacoochee where they have their wells near Madison Blue Springs.
Any facility that Nestle operates, they end up paying next to nothing for water they charge an arm and a leg for..it would put a real damper on their sales if we would pass a law to ban single use plastics! Their CEO has stated that the public shouldn’t have any rights to water, only big companies!
This is an absolute disaster.
I believe that Dr. Knight reported that water in High Springs is very high in nitrates.
Maybe they will help fight the phosphate mine to protect the water quality.
O expletive!