Nestle Cancels Bottled Water Contract in McCloud, Calif.

Posted by Tara Lohan, AlterNet at 12:57 PM on August 6, 2008.

The Protect Our Waters Coalition (composed of the McCloud Watershed Council, California Trout, and Trout Unlimited) just reported that Nestle Waters North America has agreed to cancel its contract with the McCloud Community Services District that concerned the building of a controversial water bottling facility in the small town of McCloud, California.

The environmental impacts of the project were hotly contested by local residents, environmental and wildlife groups, as well as national organizations fighting water privatization. Recently an Attorney General also spoke out against the project, and Nestle, succumbing to pressure had said it would reduce the size of the plant. This latest announcement frees the town of McCloud from a 50-year contract (with a 50 year renewal) that basicially put the future of McCloud's drinking water in the corporate giant's hands.

Now, things are looking a little more hopeful for McCloud residents, although they are not in the clear yet. Here's what the Protect Our Waters Coalition said:

After ongoing concern among McCloud residents and conservationists about the plans for the Nestlé plant highlighted major flaws in the environmental review process for the facility, the company agreed to conduct additional scientific studies and to scale back the size of the proposed plant. In cancelling this contract with the District, Nestlé has taken a major step toward a more environmentally responsible project in the town. Nestlé still owns the land where a future plant could be located and all indications are that the company will pursue a new contract that is more responsive to concerns raised by residents.

Coalition member organizations remain apprehensive about the impact the plant would have on McCloud economically and on the environment, as highlighted recently by California Attorney General Jerry Brown in a public letter to the Siskiyou County Planning Department. Although the company has agreed to conduct additional scientific study, it has not yet committed to holding off on engaging in a new contract for a bottling plant until such study is complete.

The coalition strongly urges Nestlé to wait until all information is known before submitting a revised proposal to the District. If the project does eventually move forward, the coalition wishes to ensure that the company is held accountable to do everything possible to mitigate the plant's environmental impacts and maximize the economic benefits for McCloud.

"We are heartened by Nestlé's good faith effort to improve relations with the town of McCloud and everyone who understands how special this watershed is," said Brian Stranko, Chief Executive Officer of California Trout. "We hope that Nestlé will continue to act responsibly in the region by completing additional vigorous scientific study before proposing terms for a new contract. We've said all along that a responsible contract can only be drafted once we understand how a plant might impact the watershed and what mitigation measures might be implemented to protect the region."

This news is really an incredible turn of events and the concerned townspeople who organized to hold Nestle accountable to the people of McCloud and the environment should be applauded -- as well as the organizations who have worked along with them.

Tagged as: bottled water, water privatization, mccloud, nestle

Tara Lohan is a managing editor at AlterNet.