Nestlé Sucking up precious water 3-20-2016

20, March 2016        Nestlé Sucking up precious water

For years, Nestlé has been has been illegally pumping up to 28 million gallons of water a year from the San Bernardino National Forest, virtually free of charge. Inexplicably, the U.S. Forest Service granted Nestlé a permit for a miniscule $524 a year but that permit expired 27 years ago. In a move fraught with intrigue, the forest service official, responsible for reviewing and extending the permit abruptly left his job to join (drum roll. . .) Nestlé. Nothing much will change until the man with the ‘orange hair and small hands’ ascends to the throne and makes America great – again. In the meantime Courage Campaign and their partners in this effort at the Story of Stuff are asking for donations for their legal fight against Nestlé.

In a parallel action, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued permits to Nestlé in 2001 and 2012, allowing them to pump up to 218 gallons of water per minute from aquifers that feed Lake Michigan. What is so egregious about this and the San Bernardino National Forest deal is no cost was levied on Nestlé other than a small permit fee and leasing cost to a private landowner. The pumped water is bottled and shipped all over the world generating millions in profits for the company. Outraged residents, of Mescosta County, where Nestlé’s plant is located, filed suit but are being hampered in their efforts by a paucity of legal resources.