On December 16, 2016, FLOW (For Love of Water) formally requested that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) cancel its approval of Nestlé’s application to more than double its groundwater pumping for commercial water bottling from a well northwest of Evart, in Osceola County.
After conducting an independent assessment, FLOW’s environmental attorneys determined that the MDEQ made a serious legal error in January 2016, when it approved the Swiss food and beverage giant Nestlé’s site-review request for increased pumping under the state Safe Drinking Water Act, but failed to require a parallel application and review under the Water Withdrawal Law.
Accordingly, FLOW has determined that the state must rescind its approval of Nestlé’s application to increase its groundwater withdrawal from 150 gallons per minute (gpm) to 400 gpm – an increase of 360,000 gallons of groundwater per day or 131 million gallons per year – from a well built between a pair of coldwater tributary creeks of the Muskegon River.
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Hi there,
I’m currently working on my Master’s thesis centered on land grabs for water pumping rights in the US and Nestle, Michigan Potash Company, and Gotion’s activity in Mecosta and Osceola County are a focal point.
What I haven’t been able to find, even after speaking with grassroots organizations and highly educated, conscious local activists opposing the withdrawal by these companies, are any concrete figures or estimates of the size of the aquifers the aforementioned companies have/will be drawing from.
If you have any data on this or could point me in the direction of any sources that might have this information it would be extremely helpful.
I appreciate your work and your time.
Best,
Brian Ford