Here’s why zoning is so important

By Bill and Nancy McGunagle

 

The county commissioners have unanimously concluded that the “rights” of just one property owner, no matter how deleterious his objectives, can overrule the objections of the majority.

read more....

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/article/20161227/ARTICLE/161229840

Egan Slough landowners sue county

The Egan Slough Community has sued the Flathead County commissioners over their recent denial of a petition to expand a zoning district to include land where a water bottling plant is proposed near Creston.

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/article/20161229/ARTICLE/161229845

County Rejects Egan Slough District Expansion

Disappointing, but due to the commission's track record, not surprising......

http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/11/21/county-rejects-egan-slough-district-expansion/

From pg A2 Daily Interlake

Please attend and support the Zoning Measure!

LETTER: Lowery for Commisioner

Another thought before you vote...


http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/letter-lowery-for-commissioner/article_ea8a2db4-a3b3-11e6-93c4-23537528f7a6.html

LETTER: Vote against Holmquist

 Just a thought before you vote...

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/letter-vote-against-holmquist/article_3f38ec02-a3b3-11e6-a64c-5f00b4fd5806.html

Where do Holmquist and Lowery stand on the Water Bottling Plant and also on the zoning measure?

Holmquist, Lowery run for Flathead Co. commissioner seat...Let's elect the right one to protect the Flathead's most precious resource, water... 

http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/politics/local-elections/holmquist-lowery-run-for-flathead-commissioner-seat/140435505

LETTER: Bottling plant OK, but only with conditions

(Not that I totally agree with this opinion letter, but it is much better than the DNRC issuing a blank check to MAWC with no conditions. Interesting point of view...)

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/letter-bottling-plant-ok-but-only-with-conditions/article_4bd3fe86-9330-11e6-8a08-67e5b7703872.html?mode=story

Personally I don't think the State would be willing to spend the money to create the necessary infrastructure to effectively oversee a bottling plant operation that would actually protect wells, wildlife, and wetlands. A new dept with staff (including legal) would need to be created to monitor all the interacting conditions and enforce compliance.  

Commissioners, Where Do You Stand?

Certainly the great majority of Flathead County residents are opposed to this project...

http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/10/11/commissioners-where-do-you-stand/

Timber Company Tells California Town, Go Find Your Own Water

WEED, Calif. — The water that gurgles from a spring on the edge of this Northern California logging town is so pristine that for more than a century it has been piped directly to the wooden homes spread across hills and gullies.

To the residents of Weed, which sits in the foothills of Mount Shasta, a snow-capped dormant volcano, the spring water is a blessing during a time of severe and prolonged drought.

To the lumber company that owns the land where the spring is, the water is a business opportunity.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/02/us/california-drought-weed-mount-shasta.html?_r=0

People are furious at Nestle for taking over small towns' water supply

 A new purchase by Nestlé is sparking calls for a boycott of the company and reform of the bottled water industry.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/people-are-furious-at-nestle-for-taking-over-small-towns-water-supply/ar-BBwECba?li=BBnb4R7

In Waitsburg, A Proposed Water Bottling Plant Creates Division

 Nestlé is looking to build a commercial water bottling plant in the Northwest. Its most recent pitch is to the town of Waitsburg, 20 miles north of Walla Walla. The plan to bottle water from Coppei springs is tying the small community in knots.

http://nwpr.org/post/waitsburg-proposed-water-bottling-plant-creates-division

Tension should subside by your making the right decision

Guidance for the commissioners

In your front page article of Sept. 8, Sam Wilson reported on the county commissioners’ meeting dealing with the Creston zoning plan change, which would impact the proposed Creston water bottling plant. Wilson noted that Commissioner Phil Mitchell commented after the meeting that he was “struggling” between his emphasis on property rights protections and the fact that the proposal is a publicly initiated request with strong community support.” He further commented, “The problem I have with this one is it was done on the basis of someone that was unzoned being told what he couldn’t do. If this was done a year ago, this would have been a slam dunk.”

Commissioner Mitchell, let me help you with that struggle. There are a number of reasons that this one still is a slam dunk:

1) When you were sworn in as our county commissioner, you took an oath to defend and support the Constitution of the state of Montana. Under our Constitution, the water, which is the property at issue here, is the property of the people of Montana, not Lew Weaver; your overriding obligation is to support and defend the public property rights under our Constitution.

2) What does the passage of a year have to do with this? Weaver has not been given a green light by any state agency to steal our water yet, and just because he may have taken some action to go ahead with his plans, and spent some of his money as well as that, probably, of his backers, this is his problem, not yours, or that of the public. Why you would feel any tension about this is unfounded.

Believe me, that tension should subside by your making the right decision by allowing this zoning change which will have the effect of supporting the petitioners who want to amend their zoning plan and have met all of the legal requirements to do so, and also you will be doing the right thing by your county constituents whose property interests you are also protecting.

Let’s all hope you and your fellow commissioners make the right decision. —David Eychner, Kalispell

Cascade Locks Ore. Nestle Water Bottling Plan Draws Protest — Even After It's Voted Down

 Last May, it looked like voters had stopped the Nestle corporation from putting a water-bottling plant in the Columbia River Gorge. But four months later, activists are raising concerns the project could still happen.

http://www.opb.org/news/article/nestle-oregon-water-bottling-plan-protest/

Egan Slough meeting postponed

The Flathead County commissioners’ discussion and possible vote on the proposed expansion of the Egan Slough Zoning District has been postponed because of a scheduling conflict.

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/egan-slough-meeting-postponed/article_fb14a6e8-7f8a-11e6-aff1-7ffd436bd234.html 

Commissioners consider bigger Egan Slough Zoning district

The Flathead County commissioners on Friday Sept 23 will consider adopting a resolution to expand the Egan Slough Zoning District to include property where a water bottling plant is proposed near Creston.

The commissioners will begin their discussion at 10 a.m.



http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/commissioners-consider-bigger-egan-slough-zoning-district/article_87fddb98-7eb8-11e6-91e5-4342ddf2cadd.html

Bottling Flathead’s Water…Think Again

Flathead Beacon:

It is imperative that we protect our water, not only for us now, but for generations to come

http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/09/01/bottling-flatheads-water-think/

Daily Interlake OPINION: Answers sought about impact of bottling plant

We are writing in response to the Daily Inter Lake guest opinion “Water company owners give their side of the story” in the August 7 issue.

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/opinion-answers-sought-about-impact-of-bottling-plant/article_22d7fa84-7ae2-11e6-b207-1f59e368fbfe.html

P.S. 2880 page views to date...

Really?

Is there really a politician...

who will take a stand against the bottling plant?


But where are the rest of them?



"In the land of the ostriches, the blind are king. When politicians bury their head in the sand,  ignorance rules the country"

Erik Pevernagie

 Daily Interlake:

Zoning plan debated before commissioners

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/zoning-plan-debated-before-commissioners/article_a33b65ae-762c-11e6-a0c0-43b67c712268.html

Will the Creston Bottling plant be Zoned Out?, Part 2

Flathead Beacon:

Dozens Speak in Support of Expanding Egan Slough Zone

http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/09/08/dozens-speak-support-expanding-egan-slough-zone/

Will the Creston Bottling plant be Zoned Out?

We need an ironclad contract to protect the vast majority of the people in the Flathead Valley.

I found the half-page article in the Daily Interlake about the Montana Artesian Water Company to have some data which, to me, has absolutely no bearing on the use of water. As a third generation retired wheat farmer from Pondera County, I want to point out that the vast majority of wheat raised in Montana is dryland farmed, and for Mr. Weaver's information, I mean watered naturally by mother nature, meaning not irrigated.

Please realize that agriculture irrigation goes on for only a short time out of the 12 months of the year. A lot of the water is not used by the agricultural crops and percolates back into our aquifers.

As for wheat being exported, thank God it helps our nation by providing money coming into our country, which in turn helps all of us by cutting down our national deficit.

As we all eat, so the water used in growing wheat is helping all of us, unlike the case of the Montana Artesian Water Company, where it appears they are just helping themselves.

Now my questions for Mr. Weaver...

Can and will you guarantee that you will not exceed your stated facts?

And that your water usage will never change?

Will you stick to your three trucks?

If so, the half-page notice failed to state the time frame for three trucks!

Is that per hour?

Per day, or what?

Will your hours always stay at 10 hours a day, six days a week?

Will you guarantee that you, or if you sell to someone else, that you will put in writing that these parameters will never change regardless of company ownership?

If surrounding wells in the Valley need drilling deeper, will you pay for them?

Will you guarantee that our ponds and lakes stay at the levels they are or that they have been over the years?

If our ponds and lakes go dry, they will be overtaken with noxious weeds. Who will take care of the infestations?

Without control, wildlife will scatter the weeds through the forest. Who will handle this kind of infestation?

Leafy spurge and spotted knapweed are noxious weeds that property owners are State-mandated to control. I do not believe that all landowners recognize that both leafy spurge and spotted knapweed leave a by-product in the ground that prevents other plants from competing with them.

These are some of the factors for which we need an ironclad contract to protect the vast majority of the people in the Flathead Valley.

Gary Wiest,

Creston MT

Comment:

It appears that an ironclad contract, or any kind of a firm commitment to protect the people of the Flathead Valley isn't what Montana Artesian Water Company wants to offer us. I see nothing here but empty promises, big trucks, and dry wells. VTC

Voice your objections and stop this insidious intrusion…….

 

ARE WE “THEY?”

So “They” plan to build a water bottling plant out there on Egan Slough! You may have heard that mentioned, or even read something in the paper about the Creston water bottling plant. You, by now, understand that “the applicant is planning full build-out of the water bottling plant in stages,” and plans to ultimately fill ONE BILLION, two HUNDRED MILLION, 20 ounce bottles each year, as stated in the DNRC permit application. You may ask, “So, what’s that to ME? and “That water plant is not in MY backyard.” That may be true, but the highway that the trucks, laden with OUR water must travel on, may very well be near you and have a great effect on you.

The bottling plant water consumption will result in a load of 15,323 TONS of water shipped from that proposed bottling plant every seven days and, as stated in the newspaper, the developer plans to ship 10 hours a day, six days a week, 52 weeks of the year. That will require a shipment load of TWO THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED and FIFTY FOUR TONS each day. The bottling plant on Egan Slough may NOT be in your backyard, but the trucks that ship those bottles may be present on the road you travel each morning, noon or night.

How many trucks will it take to haul all those bottles full of OUR water? Those “big rigs” you see on the highway have a gross vehicle weight of 80,000 pounds. With a pay load of, perhaps, 35 tons, and TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY FIVE TONS to ship every hour, 10 hours a day, that requires a shipping schedule of 7.29 “big rigs” every hour, or ONE BIG RIG every 8.22 minutes, 10 hours a day, 6 days a week when the applicant reaches “full build-out” as intended in the permit application.

Let’s not overlook the fact that all of those trucks must return to reload! If those trailers are loaded by the night shift and ready to go at 7a.m., how long will the parade be on Highway 35 each morning when you are in a hurry to get to work? What about the school buses that stop and go transporting the school kids? How about fire trucks or emergency vehicles speeding along to attend to the injured driver who tried to pass up the “parade” and get to work on time?

Will you, (we), the taxpayers cover the cost of paving Egan Slough and Jaquette Roads up to highway standards to support those 80 thousand pound big rigs? If a traffic signal is required, so as to reduce potential road hazards at Jaquette road and Highway 35, will OUR taxes pay the cost? Finally, who will be the eventual owner of the bottling plant; Nestle, Coca Cola, Pepsi? Let’s face it, letting ANY water bottling plant, of ANY size, or ANY production limitation into this valley, or the rest of Montana is potentially dangerous and poor stewardship of our precious resources.

The precedent has been set by the DNRC, the DEQ, and the county commissioners by allowing a permitting process of this scope to proceed to this point without question and by failing to address the “full build out” result of this project. We, together as community, will become the “THEY,” when future generations ask,

…..“Why did “THEY” let this happen?” Voice your objections and stop this insidious intrusion. …….

As Margaret Mead so eloquently stated, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Bill and Nancy McGunagle

Wow, if I didn’t know any better, I might be sucked in by this pathetic attempt to gain my support.

NOT REASSURED AT ALL!!!!!!

This letter is in response to the recent newspaper ads being run by Montana Artesian Water
Company (MAWC) to assure the public that the proposed industrial water-bottling factory is not
a big deal and that we are all over-reacting. Wow, if I didn’t know any better, I might be sucked
in by this pathetic attempt to gain my support. However, I DO know better and am going to shed
a little more light on the subject.

In MAWC’s application for a water right from DNRC, the owner requests approval for 450
gallons per minute for the purpose of bottling 140,000 bottles PER HOUR from his factory. (In
his ad he states usage at only 25 GPM. Hmmmmm, that’s a huge discrepancy.) His application
states that pumping will be underway 24 hours per day, seven days a week, all year long. (the
ad states only 10 hours per day, 6 days a week) These are all HIS numbers, not mine.
Throughout the application, mention is repeatedly made about “full build out.” This simply
means that although he may be starting with only one building and relatively small production,
his INTENT is to ramp it up and eventually use the full amount of water requested to produce
1.2 BILLION 20oz. bottles per year. And if he is granted this water right, he can then sell it to
the highest bidder. This could be ANYBODY.

It is suspect, to say the least, that MAWC would attempt to persuade people to consider forming
an opinion about this venture using such minimal numbers. Neglecting to state the planned
expansion is sneaky and does not reflect well on MAWC. His claim to use only 3 trucks per day
is almost laughable. Maybe for the FIRST day, but soon enough, it would be impossible to
transport the sheer volume of product without at least 80-100 semi-trucks per day.
In closing, I urge everyone to hold fast in their opposition to this project. Our aquifer is far too
precious to us, and future generations, to allow this senseless and frivolous exploitation of it.

Sheila (Last name withheld)

DEQ should be embarrassed...

Sandy Perry 8/19/2016 comments:

As Printed in the Daily InterLake on 8/19/2016:

If only Op-eds were subjected to fact checking. Mr. and Mrs. Weaver (owners of Montana Artesian Water) state they want to base the regulatory process in facts. Bravo!

Here are some facts taken directly from their DNRC permit and their 8/7/16 op-Ed in this paper. Page 24 of the DNRC permit states they want to produce 140,000 twenty ounce bottles per hour (1.2 billion a year) upon full build out.

Now in their op-ed, the Weavers claim that can be transported in 4 trucks a day. What would a truck capable of transporting 840,000 twenty ounce bottles (a fourth of the daily output) look like? DEQ should be embarrassed that they based their impact analysis on the building currently on site (stated on page 4 of that permit).

How about looking at what a factory capable of producing almost 200 million gallons/year of bottled water looks like? I did - it looks like a giant factory - (I googled water bottling plants that size). It is time for DEQ to admit the error of their ways and conduct a full Environmental Impact Study - now.

Or, the Weavers could amend their DNRC application to say they want to produce the amount of water that can be produced in the current building, and transported by 4 trucks a day.

Sandy Perry, Kalispell, MT

Letter to the Editor a follow letter after one above (not printed as of yet)

I wrote the attached letter in direct response to the Weavers op-ed on 8/7 and sent it 8/10. Your letters to the editor policy states that you publish all original letters less than 300 words unless they are libelous or in bad taste. I deliberately made sure to cite absolute facts in this letter, taken directly from the sources cited. I would never make libelous statements because I am very careful to state facts, which the Weavers claim their opponents do not do - while they persist in ignoring the facts in their applications.

My husband (Keith Perry) and I read this paper every day (through his iPad subscription). Sam Wilson has done an admirable job of covering the story. But, the editorial staff has not been fair minded in covering this issue. The Weavers have now taken out ads challenging the truthfulness of their opponents, when in fact it is their own account that ignores the facts.

They are now saying that a large factory would not be right for this neighborhood - which is great. Then they should amend their DNRC and DEQ requests. In fact, based on the recent public statements being made by the Weavers regarding their intent to operate at a fraction of the size stated in their permit, DNRC should throw out the current application and insist on a new application capped at 9.4 million gallons (4% of 235 million total - including rinse and geothermal- in the application) in line with what the Weavers now say they intend. Common ground could be achieved, I believe, if the Weavers asked for a bottling plant 4% the size of the one described in their permits.

Sincerely, Sandy Perry, Kalispell, MT

LETTER: Take the long view of effects of bottling plant

The Creston bottling plant proposes to ship 231 million gallons of water out of Montana. Using — or exploiting — a precious state resource such as this sets an important precedent. 

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/letter-take-the-long-view-of-effects-of-bottling-plant/article_21036180-5fdf-11e6-9f7c-9b8168e6b6d9.html

Comment from a previous resident of Orland California

In the case of Orland, Calif., a tiny town on Interstate 5 about 100 miles north of Sacramento, Crystal Geyser counted on dealing with a bunch of ignorant country hicks. Unbeknownst to most of the locals, they operated in secrecy under the guise of the consulting firm, MALCOLM PIRNIE. This firm was genius in getting all ducks in a row, to the point of getting a representative hired on with the local newspaper well in advance. In secrecy they convinced the local City Council members to put a expensive lift pump to handle the waste water to go to the city sewer. They wined and dined some local businesses with implications of promised work. They cozied up to adjacent landowners. They drilled a 24" test well.

When they finally made their formal request for the City for the building permit, the word had "got out" and a group of us were already complaining to the City about the lack of transparency. When the proposal was submitted without the name of the company, the City rejected the application on the basis of "incomplete" because the company was not named on the application.

This gave us a little time to loosely organize, and call ourselves SOWR for Save Our Water Resources. We were mostly farm / farm related , We enlisted help from an active environmental group, A local attorney/judge was in our group, as well as a former county supervisor,

When the City gave its OK for the project without a complete Environmental Impact Report, we filed suit against the City, and Crystal Geyser. Crystal Geyser had already agreed to pay any legal fees to the City. A n environmental law firm from Sacramento took our case. SABRINA TELLER handled the case for us.

The ensuing 'fight' split our little town like the North vs the South. The rally cry was for JOBS, JOBS, JOBS. In reality, very few jobs would have gone to locals, as my husband and I went to other bottling plants, and in secret, watched the employees come and go at shift changes. They are so highly automated that very few employees are needed. In our case, even the clerical work would not have been local. CG had its own construction company which would have come in to do the initial construction---including the finish (tile) work.

The method is to begin under the guise of a 'Mom and Pop' little company. Then once it is up and running, no one can stop them from expanding. They lower the neighboring property values, then buy it up, then expand further.

They have no intent to pay for additional sewer, county roads, etc. We went to CALISTOGA, where the company has an old plant. The roads in poor condition, due to the constant round the clock travel of the water trucks.

In my research, I found that the 'mode of operation' was pretty consistent with the other large water companies. We were lied to, and false hopes were given at heir "job fair" where local unemployed were filled with compliments and false hopes. (No one interviews potential employees even before the building has a permit)

I could ramble on all night, but a typist I'm not.

I love the Flathead Valley, and would not wish for a bottling plant if I were a resident there.

I moved out of Orland before Crystal Geyser announced it was leaving, but since I left, the people of Orland have had to ration water, and many, many wells have gone dry. They would have really been in trouble if the water bottling plant would have been built.

Good Luck, Dalene (Last name withheld)

Daily interlake LETTER: It’s time to preserve water worldwide

Groundwater reserves are being depleted ALL OVER THE WORLD!

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/letter-it-s-time-to-preserve-water-worldwide/article_d19b47dc-5fe0-11e6-b1aa-b7deb23636de.html

Bottling Plant Opinions from 11 August Daily Interlake

Letters to the Editor:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4Cd6He9QtdLSmcwamFzU0ZxZDg/view?usp=sharing

Washington mayor resigns amid bottled-water dispute

Walt Gobel said he had the city’s interest in mind when he and the city administrator met confidentially with Nestle Waters North America. The company was exploring a water-bottling plant in this town of 1,200 people north of Walla Walla.

Water-plant foes filled school gym and the parking looked like Creston Auction

Water-plant foes fill school gym

Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake

Water bottling plant

More than 300 people crammed into the gymnasium at Creston School on Monday evening to listen to and give comments about the draft water quality permit for the Montana Artesian Water Co.’s proposed water bottling plant. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/water-plant-foes-fill-school-gym/article_2b223c5c-58f7-11e6-8626-63ac3a398505.html

1 Aug DEQ Public Meeting TV coverage

KPAX TV

Heated meeting over proposed Creston water bottling plant

http://www.kpax.com/story/32599245/heated-meeting-over-proposed-creston-water-bottling-plant

Are non-BPA Water Bottles Safe? Chemical used to replace BPA in plastic accelerates embryonic development, disrupts reproductive system

UCLA-led research highlights some harmful effects of BPS, a common substitute for BPA

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/chemical-used-to-replace-bpa-in-plastic-accelerates-embryonic-development-disrupts-reproductive-system

How LARGE is a typical finished water bottling facility?

Q: How large is a typical finished water bottling facility that is bottling 1.61 acre feet per day like MAWC is permitted to bottle?

A: The proposed Crystal Geyser Water Bottling Plant that is in the photo at the bottom of the page,  is located in Mt. Shasta CA. (Was formally Coca-Cola.) According to the Crystal Geyser Web site, the plant intends to bottle 0.5 acre feet per day. 

According to measurements taken from Google Earth, the facility is approximately 700' by 214'.

The plant is visually about the size of a Walmart. (The Kalispell Walmart is 533' x 337'.)

In the DNRC Findings of Facts pg. 4, MAWC intends to bottle 588.08 acre feet per yr. When divided by 365 days = 1.61 acre ft. per day. So to bottle that much water, there would need to be 3 Wal-Mart size facilities located on Pederson Road, operating 24/7. 

(1.6 acre feet = 521362 gallons)

The beige MAWC “Steel Building” located on 405 Pederson Road would in no way provide a large enough facility to bottle the proposed amount of water.

 Is this a bait and switch from this?

 To this?  Or maybe times 3? (This could be coming to a neighborhood near you!)

The Crystal Geyser Plant is located at 214 Ski Village Dr. in Mt. Shasta CA. (Web Photo)

(The Mt. Shasta plant covers 3.4 acres.)

Note: During the previous Coca-Cola plant operations, the local residents reported they had well problems with water coming out with sand and dirt and no officials listening.

http://mountshastaecology.org/2015/05/09/water-crisis-local-activists-speak-out-crystal-geyser-eir-needed/

Water Crisis: Local Activists Speak Out – Crystal Geyser EIR Needed

Local activists from the MSBEC-sponsored W.A.T.E.R. group, the Gateway Neighborhood Association and others have been busy getting the word out about Crystal Geyser’s plans to start bottling water in the midst of an unprecedented drought.

http://mountshastaecology.org/2015/05/09/water-crisis-local-activists-speak-out-crystal-geyser-eir-needed/

Water Plant Comments Extended

10 Day DEQ Public Comment Period Extension Granted.

However, public hearing is still scheduled for Aug 1 at the Creston school at 6:00 pm.

 

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/water-plant-comments-extended/article_683a7c08-5384-11e6-9b0d-5b16b859c7d3.html

What is True Cost of Drinking Water from Plastic Bottles?

 

http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/07/23/true-cost-drinking-water-plastic-bottles/

What is leaching from your BPA Free Water Bottle?

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xximtvd-PeA

People of Flathead Valley, WAKE UP!!!

Double click on photo to clearly see the location of the MAWC bottling Plant

The Rolling Pipeline

People of Flathead Valley, WAKE UP!!! We must act before it’s too late. We must all realize what is going on and work together to stop it. If we love our Valley, we must unite and put a stop to this Creston Bottling plant.

This is not the first time our Valley has been in jeopardy. In 1943, Army engineers, on behalf of the federal Bonneville and Grand Coulee power projects, proposed to take over the Kerr Dam and raise it 17 feet. Much of the Flathead Valley would have been flooded. Our fertile Valley would be under water and many of our towns would too. Governor Sam C. Ford, the state water conservation board, and thousands of our citizens protested at public hearings and got it stopped.

Well, our Valley is in jeopardy again, only this time much more under the radar. The aforementioned bottling plant proposes to produce 2 billion, 12-ounce bottles of water each and every year, once it has all its permits in place. Permits that are in force FOREVER. That is 189 million gallons of water a year out of our aquafer, FOREVER. This water is going to be piped to California, Nevada, and Arizona, via a rolling pipeline of 47 semi-trucks a day. 47 trucks going and 47 trucks coming every day. A rolling pipeline travelling through Bigfork, Woods Bay, Polson, or maybe Somers, Lakeside, either way, south to Interstate 90. Selling our water. They say that it will have no effect on us. They are in the “deep aquafer.” Apparently that puts the onus on the people of the Valley to prove that that it will have an effect on us. Deep aquafer, shallow aquafer, Flathead River, Flathead Lake, are they connected? They say they are not. I say common sense says that the recharge for all of our water comes from the same place. How can they not be connected? I say they should have to prove that their plant, and the ones that follow, and believe me there will be more, should have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they won’t make a wasteland out of our Valley in the years to come. Do you want to gamble on them or on common sense?

They do plan on leaving us something, though. Their plan is to dump all other water that they draw out of the aquafer (we don’t know that quantity) and use for processing their plastic bottles, (waste water) into the Flathead River system.

It’s time to get involved. Call the Governor, and all of our elected officials, voice your concerns. If you want to save this Valley for generations to come, Let’s Roll!!! Check out waterforflatheadsfuture.org

6 July 2016

Jay Trepanier

407 Lake Loop Drive

Kalispell, MT 59901

257 2293

Phoenix Water Bottling Plant?

Nestlé Discovers Water in the Arizona Desert, and Bottles It!

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-29/nestl-discovers-water-in-the-arizona-desert-and-bottles-it

Draft discharge permit released for water bottling plant

The facility has been a subject of controversy in the Creston area after the company applied for a separate water right to withdraw up to 231.5 million gallons of water per year from the aquifer.

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/draft-discharge-permit-released-for-water-bottling-plant/article_5f495b8e-3c99-11e6-939b-6b04e2d592d4.html

Bottled Water Comes From the Most Drought-Ridden Places in the Country

Popular brands like Aquafina and Dasani source from catastrophically dry parts of the West.

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/08/bottled-water-california-drought

Stop Nestle Waters

It doesn't appear Nestle is a neighbor you would want any more than...(fill in the blank)

http://stopnestlewaters.org/about

P.S. Almost 1300 page views!

All Bottled up

Nestle's Pursuit of Community Water 

http://bark-out.org/sites/default/files/bark-docs/Nestle_-_All_Bottled_Up.pdf

Water-Bottling Plant Opponents Appeal to County

State agency sets hearing for objections while county weighs legal authority

http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/06/07/water-bottling-plant-opponents-appeal-county/

Water-plant foes seek county help

Creston-area residents are hoping to halt a proposed water bottling plant through changes in county law as the project heads toward an additional review of its draft water right at the state level.

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/water-plant-foes-seek-county-help/article_8b44c902-2abb-11e6-912e-47b9504c0a69.html

Water Filling Stations are Readily Available at Grand Canyon NP

Go "Green" and Refill Your Water Bottles

https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/refilling_stations.htm

Election doesn't persuade Cascade Locks to abandon proposed Nestlé deal

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2016/05/election_doesnt_persuade_casca.html

More on the Cascade Locks victory over Nestle story...
 

"Our Water, Our Future": Voters in Oregon Defeat Nestlé's Attempt to Privatize Their Water! 

 

" Opponents of Nestlé believe the passage of the ballot measure is perhaps the most significant win in the fight against water privatization in the United States."

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/36129-our-water-our-future-voters-in-oregon-defeat-nestle-s-attempt-to-privatize-their-water

 Look at this....

Lake Mead drops to record low: What now? (+video)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/0521/Lake-Mead-drops-to-record-low-What-now-video

Flathead Beacon article from May 4th 2016
Kalispell population growth (and water usage soaring)...Click on image to enlarge...

Anti-Nestle ballot measure: Bid to block the Nestle Cascade Locks water plant succeeds!

  “Voters in Oregon’s Hood River County today made their community one of the first in the country to ban industrial-scale water bottling.” – Local Water Alliance

 

 Around 68% of residents voted “yes” on ballot measure 14-55, blocking Nestle’s years-long battle to establish a bottling facility and export 118 million gallons of water a year from Oxbow Springs.

 

http://koin.com/2016/05/17/hood-river-count

Amid Western drought, Oregon county to vote on Nestlé bottling public water

 
If successful, the measure could set a precedent making it much harder for Nestlé and other water-bottling companies to find new sources at a time when a long drought in the American west has triggered public anger at the very notion of private companies making money and creating extensive plastic bottle waste out of a badly needed resource.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/17/nestle-bottled-water-oregon-measure-14-55?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Tapped Video Trailer: Great Video about the privatization of water...

Tapped is a film that examines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil. This trailer will give you a taste, I'll try to locate the full movie later....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72MCumz5lq4

Nestle Is Trying to Break Us: A Pennsylvania Town Fights Predatory Water Extraction

Big corporations privatizing clean water to make a profit is stealing a human right.

By Alexis Bonogofsky | April 29, 2016

http://billmoyers.com/story/nestle-is-trying-to-break-us-a-pennsylvania-town-fights-predatory-water-extraction/

P.S. 1000 views of this blog to date...

State Agrees to Hear Concerns Over Water Bottling Plant

Locals organize over potential negative impacts as state agency sets hearing

http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/05/13/state-agrees-hear-concerns-water-bottling-plant/

Crystal Geyser bottling plant draws lawsuit

http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Crystal-Geyser-sued-over-bottling-plant-that-6465184.php

 "Crystal Geyser is opening the bottling plant soon without any environmental review or limits at a time when everyone else in the state is being asked to drastically cut water use. California's non-existent laws on groundwater use allow this." 

 Would you want this in your back yard?

Video:  Bottled water companies taking us for fools?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LisE9wEdGbw

Great little video:

Back the tap! Go bottled water-free!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zONh0ZTR6ZU

Excellent commentary by Sandy Perry concerning the Creston bottling plant!

We encourage you to post your own comments at the end of the article.
http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/05/05/protect-water-rights-property-rights/

Plastic Water Bottles Contain Estrogenic Chemicals

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-free-plastic-containers-may-be-just-as-hazardous/

 

 " A 2011 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that almost all of the 455 commercially available plastics that were tested leached estrogenic chemicals."

 

 

BPA and even BPA free plastics can put our river and streams and maybe even us at risk.

 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6436617/ns/nbc_nightly_news_with_brian_williams/t/male-fish-becoming-female/#.Vylv7TGrGhH 

  

 

As I see it, the moral of the story is we need to be extremely careful of what we allow to go into our water. Also since estrogenic chemicals are active at very low levels,  the old catch phrase "the solution to pollution is dilution", is simply not true. 

 

The question for tonight is "Do Water Bottling Companies provide good jobs?" I found this PDF during my internet searches, so I thought I might share.

The Unbottled Truth About Bottled Water Jobs

In my view...

With less winter snow fall, earlier springs, and hotter summers... it seems that...

Arguing about climate change vs climate variation is like two men standing on the railroad tracks in the 1950s arguing about if the train approaching through the fog was a steam or a diesel. Unfortunately, their focus was on the heated argument between them and who was right and who was wrong, rather than on the oncoming train. We can guess what happened.

This is much like the situation we are finding ourselves in now with our declining aquifers which are due to less snowfall, hotter summers, and more demand. The real question is ...Do we see the oncoming train, and what are we going to do about it? We need to take immediate appropriate action. Allowing any of our water to be privatized and sold out of state in face of drought and water shortages is not an appropriate action. Let's not be like the two men who, being so focused on the argument, ignored the oncoming train.

But rather, let us make the choice to get our valley and ourselves out of harm's way and put a moratorium on industrial-scale water bottling plants in the our Flathead Valley.

Let's preserve our valley for generations to come.

Thanks....

 P.S. Over 800 visits to this Blog!

As we in the Flathead Valley have had an early spring with less than outstanding winter snow pack, too many other areas have also. I believe this article from the Desert Sun addresses many of our concerns about the availability of water now and in the future.

Losing snow in a changing climate

Our Aquifers apparently aren't bottomless...Click on image to enlarge...

 

Another alarming Development! 

 

Bottled water and packaging plant planned for Blackfeet Reservation 

Something I found in the Daily Inter Lake. I think that this sentiment as reflected in this article, is common throughout the Flathead Valley.

Opinion: Risks of bottling plant need to be fully accessed

P.S. We have had almost 700 visits to this blog...

As of this a.m. I noticed that Water for Flathead's Future website was live....

 

Visit it at....

http://www.waterforflatheadsfuture.org/

In the midst of California’s historic drought, Nestle Waters—the largest bottler of water in the world—is drawing millions of gallons of water a year from the San Bernardino National Forest. 

http://storyofstuff.org/movies/nestle/ 

Hummm...Bottling Plants in the Flathead Valley....

And as citizens, who ever asked us if this was a good idea? 
Not MAWC and not DNRC!


P.S. Over 600 visits to this Blog!

Water for Flathead's Future Issues a Mission Statement...

Our Mission -

Water for Flathead's Future is a grass roots organization (born just a couple of weeks ago) that advocates sustainable use of our surface and underground water resources to assure that the needs of the people, fish and wildlife of the Flathead Valley of Montana can be met now and for generations to come. Any person or company that endangers the quality and availability of this most valuable resource by shipping large quantities of it away from the local area poses a threat to our livelihoods, our happiness, and our economy.  We work to prevent issuance of water permits supporting any such activities.

 

See Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/waterforflatheadsfuture/ 

 Here is an interesting article from Readers Digest with comments and warnings about bottled water...

See link below
http://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/rethink-what-you-drink/

Water for Flathead's Future has a FaceBook page!
Click on  the link below...
https://www.facebook.com/waterforflatheadsfuture/

New Flathead Beacon Article, click link below...Also note comments from Sandy Perry spokes-person for Water for Flathead's Future.

 

 Worries Run Deep as Creston Water Bottling Plant Seeks Approval

 

Note:  To date, this blog has over 500 page views...proving people care about this issue!

 

A bit more information on the Cascade Locks Nestle Bottling Plant woes....

See Link Below...

Keep Nestle out!

A few thoughts about bottled water!
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/live-healthy/tap-water-vs-bottled-water

"A new group formed last week, Water for Flathead's Future, has arranged an additional educational session with scientists Wheaton and Rose. These are the same MBMG scientists that will make the presentation at the Flathead Community College on April 6th at 6:30 PM.

This additional presentation will take place this Thursday morning at 10 AM (April 7th) at the Church at Creston, 5447 Hwy 35. This meeting is definitely not political. It was arranged to focus more on questions that have been raised about the potential impact of removing large quantities of groundwater from the local aquifer versus on site use."

Click below for Great Video on Bottled Water...

The Story of Bottled Water



An interesting thought for the day...see link below

Montreal wants complete ban on plastic water bottles

We're glad to see the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has submitted an objection to the MAWC water right based on their concerns that the review analysis has been inadequate and impacts to their wells at the Creston National Fish Hatchery could be significant. They conducted their own modeling analysis with the alarming results showing that their wells could drop as much as 20' compared to DNRC's “worst case scenario” that wells in the vicinity of the hatchery would drop up to 4.5' over the next 5 years. We hope the USFWS objection will be taken under serious consideration and prompt a more thorough investigation of the potential impacts of the water right before a decision is made to grant it.

Hatchery objects to Creston bottling plant

 Click this link below to read....

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/members/hatchery-objects-to-creston-bottling-plant/article_6e13601a-f6da-11e5-9075-4fbb54dc71fc.html

 

"The federal agency estimates the hatchery’s wells could see a draw-down of 20 feet!!"

Eleven of us met on March 29 at 6pm at the home of *****

I want to highlight where we are right now and some immediate action steps:

1. We have a name: Water for Flathead’s Future

2. We have volunteers working on setting us up as a Montana nonprofit and setting up a bank account - we will need financial support!

3. We have volunteers working on graphics and setting up a website and domain.

4.We will have a table at the Creston VFD Annual Auction (upstairs in the Grange Hall) this Saturday, April 2
 *** Updated 3/31/2016*** TABLE @ CRESTON AUCTION CANCELED***

5. We are setting up a special meeting with John Wheaton and James Rose of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology for Thursday, April 7.

6. Get involved in the DNRC process now! The deadline is now April 7 to file an initial objection to the MAWC application in the form of a DNRC form 611 http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/water/water-rights/docs/forms/611-u3-25-2016_fillable.pdf This form requires the payment of $25, and we highly recommend retaining legal help. Many of us who filed objections on March 11 received rejection notices on March 25. That created a new deadline of April 9 to respond to the denial letter for those who already filed those objections. Those who receive rejections later will have later response dates (15 calendar days from date of rejection letter.) ****** is already involved in this case representing people , and he can help you. To obtain his help, email him requesting that he represent you on this case. His email is ********* New filers should expect to contribute a minimum of $125 of which $25 is a fee paid to the state, and those wishing to dispute a “rejection” should expect to contribute a minimum of $100 since they’ve already paid the $25 filing fee. Whether or not you use Mr. *******, we can’t emphasize enough that without expert help you can expect to have your objections rejected. We cannot circulate privileged legal advice.

Since many of you already on this email list head up HOAs, please feel free to circulate this to your members. We are still working on our goal/purpose statement and the wording of the petition, but since we have very short deadlines ahead (particularly the auction) I wanted to get this much out now. We tentatively plan to meet again this Thursday evening, and we discussed the possibility of gathering auction volunteers in advance to provide guidance. Also, if anyone knows a way to quickly create some T-shirts for us to wear at the auction, let me know.

If there are any Thomas Jefferson’s among you who would like to help with some of the writing - please let me know. We have a goal (mission statement), the petition, some language to go on the website (which may just be based on the former language) and I’d also like to create some preliminary FAQs for the website. Email me at ******* to help.

You will hear more from me very soon,

Thanks to all of you for your support!

*******

Last night, Thurs Mar 24, we held our first meeting of the core of our concerned citizens group. We had great information shared. Soon we will have a public meeting and will post the information here.

As you may know already, there are numerous environmental issues here along with the water pumping issues. These include air pollution, water pollution, and possibly noise pollution as well.

Here on the Cascade Locks Oregon web there is a pro video (by Nestle) and there is a con video (by a citizens group). We will see many of these arguments again and again.

 The battle over the Columbia River Gorge Water


More on the Same subject...

Cascade Locks, Keep Nestle out


The Montana Artesian Water Company Environmental Assessment

Just a comment: Please note on page 3 under Water Quality that "Flathead Lake has been assessed and is identified by DEQ as not supporting aquatic life...".

This appears to be a fill in the blanks rushed EA done from the desk that was never proofread by anyone. Is this any indication of how carefully DNRC protects our county and our way of life?


 The Montana Artesian Bottling Company EA

Just a reminder,  the new period to file objections will begin on Wednesday, March 23, when the public notice is published, and will run through Thursday, April 7.


Are you wondering if your well is affected?  (According to their flawed model which fails to take in underground topography, as well as many other things)

Located below is the affected well spreadsheet list from DNRC. Please note, that for whatever reason, it does not contain all the affected wells. Searchable in MS Excel or Open Office Calc.

(Note: If you have an IPad, click on the arrow that you see displayed)

Otherwise just click on the live link below...
Affected Wells Here

So why should we object? Many reasons... For many of us, the dropping of the well levels in the area are only the tip of a very large iceberg...

Some folks from Many Lakes said this on their DNRC Form 611.  Link to DNRC Form 611

Criteria 3. Adverse Effect.

• We feel that the analysis to determine no adverse impact has been insufficient. The modeling methods used are old and outdated. We suggest you look at data from at least 3 different models to determine impacts to the surrounding area.
• The list of affected wells includes only one well under 100'. We believe there are potential impacts on wells in the area, and the shallower wells should not have been omitted.
• Adverse impacts are not limited merely to area well levels. The groundwater in the Many Lakes Community is very closely tied to lake levels and local wetlands. As our groundwater drops, so do our lake levels. Differences as small as four feet show dramatically in lake level fluctuations. As our lake levels drop, nursery habitat for fish populations is eliminated, wetland habitat is degraded, and our property values drop correspondingly.
• Evidence from the well-log and water pump test suggest the well is not located in the deep aquifer as suggested in the permit. It appears it is in an intermediate aquifer connected to the shallow aquifer. Clear and convincing evidence that the well is in the deep aquifer has not been provided.
• We are concerned that the permit includes no thresholds for ceasing operations should it be found that unanticipated adverse impacts occur following issuance of the permit.
• The proposed water use is not comparable to the Creston Hatchery use or agricultural use that are permitted to draw similar acre-feet per year. Agricultural permits use only about 25% of their allotment in a typical year. Also, the water pumped is used on site and drains back into the same aquifer or condenses into clouds that generally precipitate in state. This proposal is to remove more than 200 million gallons of water per year and ship it out of state. In no way, should this be considered a beneficial use for the citizens state of Montana.
• We are one year into an El Niño cycle and may be facing unprecedented drought conditions in the coming years. We suggest that before issuing a 710 ac-ft permit that removes the bulk of the water from our region, that you include the potential for climate variability in your modeled recharge rates. Keep in mind that all glaciers in the Flathead Basin headwaters are predicted to melt in the next decade or two, decreasing the reliability of aquifer recharge rates in coming years. This is not a time to sell our limited water resources out of state.
• No general data or analysis has been provide to the public that demonstrates that no damage would occur to existing wells and groundwater fed lake and wetland systems. You have also failed to conduct and provide the public with a detailed environmental assessment that provides a comprehensive study of possible impacts with adequate notice for a comment period. The Environmental Analysis prepared by DNRC is woefully inadequate. At a minimum, the EA should meet standards for the Montana Environmental Policy Act, and we request that it be submitted to the public for at least a 30-day comment period.
• We object to the wording on DNRC form 611, that limits objections merely to impacts on groundwater wells. In this particular instance, the issue is much bigger, and the potential for adverse impacts extends far beyond a simple water right.
  
  
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Sign the Stop the Creston Bottling Plant Petition!     Link to the Petition Here

 

Please note the extension of the objection period below:

FlatHead Beacon

DNRC Extends Objection Period for Creston Water Bottling Plant
State agency received requests for extensions from area water right holders
By Tristan Scott // Mar 11, 2016 // News & Features

The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has extended the period for water right holders to object to a water bottling plant proposed on a slough along the Flathead River near Creston.
According to a spokesman for the state agency, the decision to extend the period by 15 days was prompted by requests from water right holders who live near the proposed facility.
Kathy Olsen, manager of DNRC’s Kalispell Regional Water Office, said the new period to file objections will begin on Wednesday, March 23, when the public notice is published, and will run through Thursday, April 7.
Objections postmarked March 12-22 will not be accepted.
The company laying plans for the plant is Montana Artesian Water Co., which was incorporated in Flathead County in 2014. Creston farmer Lew Weaver applied for a water rights permit from the state last June and received a preliminary water use permit from the DNRC in January.
The permit would allow the company to pump 710 acre-feet of water per year from the underground aquifer, the equivalent of 1.2 billion 20-ounce water bottles.
According to the DNRC’s preliminary determination to grant the permit, the company intends to use machines that are capable of rinsing and filling 20-ounce water bottles at a rate of 7,000 bottles per hour.
“Ultimately, Montana Artesian Water Company intends to use up to 20 of these machines to produce 140,000 water bottles per hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” the application states.
The department found that there will be no adverse effect to existing water users due to the company’s proposed appropriations and that enough water is both physical and legally available.
Still, news of the proposal unleashed a deluge of concern from conservation groups and nearby residents who worry that the water bottling plant would diminish the amount of available water they draw from their own wells. They also expressed concern about an uptick in vehicle traffic and the potential to despoil nearby wetlands and waterbodies.
Jean Rachubka lives near the slough and said she and other neighbors banded together to oppose the bottling plant after learning of its scope last week.
“We are just putting together a grassroots thing and trying to bring some light to this, which we really feel was done under the radar,” Rachubka said. “I asked the DNRC for a 15-day extension, and every single one of us is going to file an objection, regardless of whether it will be deemed invalid.”
The objection period was slated to end on March 11, but DNRC extended the period for 15 days. Water rights holders who believe the project would have an adverse effect on their wells can download the form at the agency’s website at http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/water/water-rights/docs/forms/611.pdf.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is also conducting a review under the Montana Environmental Policy Act and is reviewing two separate permitting actions.
Montana Artesian Water Company has applied for permitting under the Montana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and is requesting a discharge permit at two outfall points, both of which would discharge into “an unnamed tributary of the Flathead River,” about 1,300 feet away from the river.
The first outfall would contain non-contact heating water, or geothermal water, and would average a discharge of 33,358 gallons per day. The second outfall would contain rinse water from plastic water bottles and would average a discharge of 2,640 gallons per day.
Although the company has not yet discharged any water, it submitted estimates of the chemicals that may be present in the effluent, including chloride, chlorine, fluoride, nitrate, nitrite, and sulfate.
A public notice package will be completed in about one month, at which point the agency will initiate and give notice for a 30-day public comment period.
“If we lose the first battle with the DNRC, the next one is with the DEQ and we are going to get up in their grill,” Rachubka said. “It’s time to put the heat on them.”
Meanwhile, a petition at change.org titled “Stop Montana Artesian Water Co. From Forming A Water Bottling Plant in Creston, MT” had gathered nearly 1,800 signatures as of Friday afternoon.
At full build-out, the company anticipates having three daily shifts of 15 employees each.

Original  Daily InterLake Legal Notice 27 January 2016 (Before our recent time extension)

Enlarged Section: