Nestlé looks to renew water-taking permit in Aberfoyle

Grassroots activism takes notice

Bottled water producer Nestlé is seeking to renew its permit to draw groundwater from its Aberfoyle well, approximately 12 kilometres south of Guelph. The current permit was issued on April 29, 2011 and will expire on July 31, 2016. However, the corporation that is currently able to draw Nestlé is not seeking an increase in their water takings from the Aberfoyle well.

Nestlé has been operating a water removal and bottling plant in Aberfoyle for the last 15 years, and not without public contention. The corporation has faced backlash from environmental activists since it began drawing water from the Aberfoyle well, and its backup groundwater well in Erin. As part of a tightly controlled provincial permit to take water, Nestlé has installed 80 monitor sites in the local area to monitor the status of the aquifer.

[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…it’s a poor use of public water…[/pullquote]

“We think it’s a poor use of public water,” former Guelph Green Party candidate, Mike Nagy, said to CTV News. “We’re not necessarily trying to stop this renewal, but there are lots of questions about this aquifer.”

Nagy is a spokesperson for the Wellington Water Watchers, based in Guelph.

The Wellington Water Watchers are a local, grassroots organization seeking to protect water rights for citizens of Wellington County. The group is fundamentally opposed to the commercial sale of bottled water and has been one of the most vocal advocates against Nestlé’s presence in the region. The Wellington Water Watchers estimate that Nestlé would be able to produce up to 7.2 million plastic water bottles for sale every day if the new permit is granted. They also say that the well would have significant environmental impacts, including adverse effects to fish habitat, private well water quality, and extreme low water during drought conditions.

[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…Nestlé would be able to produce up to 7.2 million plastic water bottles for sale every day…[/pullquote]

However, the group may be in for an uphill battle as the permit has been approved under identical conditions on the same site in the past. The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Ontario Ministry of Environment, and Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) have all been consulted in the permitting process. The GRCA in particular “indicated that the taking will not cause unacceptable impact, and made recommendations for renewal of the permit with the continuation of the existing monitoring program,” as stated on the Government of Ontario’s Environmental Registry.

If the Wellington Water Watchers are to be successful in the fight against Nestlé, they may need to start from the top-down. Ultimately, multiple government agencies have contributed scientific findings and approved many similar permits prior to this renewal.

Furthermore, the Wellington Water Watchers have been successful in the past, including in 2002 when they managed to reduce the water taking allowance on the original Middlebrook Company permit for the well in question. Grassroots groups have been very successful in generating discussion and awareness among local residents, which keeps corporations vigilant and cements the continued use of government oversight into public resources. On the 2011 Nestlé Aberfoyle permit, over 1000 public comments were received during the public consultation period, largely due to the efforts of groups such as the Wellington Water Watchers.