The following article appeared in the May 10th edition of the Guelph Mercury:
Nestlé Waters Canada’s push to take nearly 3.6 million litres of water out of Aberfoyle daily for another five years has drawn expert speakers, community activism and a sustained and much-publicized debate to Guelph and Wellington County.
But there’s another site Nestlé taps in Wellington that’s also up for permit renewal.
Nestlé takes as much as 1.1 million litres a day from its well in Hillsburgh. The Erin spring water is then trucked, 7,000 litres at a time, to its Aberfoyle plant.
Nestlé has applied to renew a permit to take the water for another five years, though the Ministry of the Environment’s website says Nestlé’s looking for 10.
“The MOE website is in error when it quotes 10 years,” Nestlé Waters Canadian president Gail Cosman said. “We’ve asked them to change it.”
Wellington Water Watchers say the Hillsburgh site is as environmentally significant as Aberfoyle, given the exhaust pushed out of the water trucks every time they roll between sites, nearly across Wellington County.
Group member and Guelph’s federal Green party candidate Mike Nagy said he is concerned Hillsburgh has been ignored in the shadow of the Aberfoyle fight.
“We as a group could have done a better job getting word out on the Hillsburgh permit, but we’re rectifying that,” he said, adding people all along the extensive routes have to endure the exhaust and noise of many trucks.
Nagy, who lives in Rockwood, said “they go right by my house.”
Cosman said Nestle averaged 10 loads a day in 2006.
Water Watchers wants to keep Nestlé out of Wellington water supply. They also hope to shorten the water-taking period for companies like it to two years at a time. Nagy said this will allow for closer observation of environmental effects.
“Canada needs to take a stand and make sure we secure our public water,” he said.
Cosman says some Nestlé sites in the United States have encountered similar protests. But “we have never encountered community protest at any site in Canada for permit renewals,” she says.
The environmental club and other students at John F. Ross school in Guelph will have lunch in the school library with Cosman and Nagy today.
The club recently organized a schoolwide petition signing to stop Nestlé from using Wellington water.
Nestlé received the students’ input, and Cosman requested to speak with the club to give her company’s side of the story. The club decided to invite Water Watchers to the session to balance the story.
“We think that the best way to get to the bottom of the truth, whether our water is really in peril, is to have both sides here,” club supervising teacher Amanda Spencer said.