Cracks in bottling industry
Bottling water is a $10.8bn-a-year industry in the U.S., and demand is growing at 8 per cent a year.
From California to New Hampshire and Florida, corporate giants such as Nestle, Coca-Cola and Crystal Geyser are looking for new sources of water but are running into resistance. Opposition in Wisconsin forced Nestle to abandon plans by its Perrier subsidiary to build a $US100 million bottling plant. In Michigan, residents are engaged in a similar legal dispute against Nestle. Last September, Napa, in the heart of Northern California’s wine country, rejected Crystal Geyser’s application to tap into the city’s aquifer to bottle mineral water. Supporters of bottling plants see them as a vital source of jobs and revenue.
Others fear that pumping large amounts of water from the ground will drain wells, creeks and streams. From California to New Hampshire and Florida, corporate giants such as Nestle, build a $US100m bottling plant. The Advertiser (Adelaide),
April 11.
