Please leave this field empty
Donate Monthly Make a Gift Renew Your Membership Ways to Give
Food & Water Watch Food & Water Watch Food & Water Watch
  • About
  • Problems
  • Campaigns
  • Impacts
  • Research
  • Contact
Donate Monthly Make a Gift Renew Your Membership Ways to Give
  • facebook
  • twitter
Please leave this field empty
Food & Water Watch Food & Water Watch
$
Menu
  • About
  • News
  • Research Library
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Donate
Search
Please leave this field empty
  • facebook
  • twitter

Wells, Maine Votes Down Corporate Water

As water companies are on the prowl for new water sources, the latest development is a victory for local control. On November 4, Wells residents cast their ballots in favor of a 180-day moratorium on all water extraction activities.

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • google-plus
  • envelope

We all need safe food and clean water.

Donate
11.6.08

The vote follows a summer decision against water extraction on the part of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Wells Water District trustees. On July 17th, the trustees voted unanimously to ‚indefinitely table” Nestlé‚ proposal to drain 500,000 gallons a day from the water district over the next 30 years and sell it nationally as Poland Spring brand bottled water.

This summer, Food & Water Watch and Defending Water for Life in Maine joined residents and Maine activists for a rally at the KKW Water District to voice opposition to the proposal. Concerned about a lack of public input in earlier talks over district water, residents organized to form Save Our Water (SOH20) to work to prevent large-scale water extraction for resale from the local watershed.

“We are ecstatic about the Wells victory,” said SOH2O member Jamilla El-Shafei. “There is a statewide movement bubbling up to protect our groundwater resources. Save Our Water is working with activists throughout Maine on the building of a coalition that will bring the issue to the forefront in every community.  I have no doubt that united we will be a formidable force to reckon with, and we are now united in saying no to Nestlé!”

The moratorium will allow time for residents to develop the terms of a municipal ordinance that will protect their water and surrounding environment from large-scale corporate water mining projects.  According to Wells resident Carol Simpson, “We worked hard for a moratorium and it paid off. We have a victory! Now the real work begins where we can craft an ordinance that will effectively protect the aquifer.”

“The people of Wells have shown, as have people in a growing number of places, that they wont let the big water companies take their water and sell it for profits. Water is a resource for communities, not a buck waiting to be made by corporations,” stated Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter.

Wells victory follows the successful vote for a moratorium in Shapleigh, where earlier this fall townsfolk voted to halt Nestlé Water NA from expanding water mining operations on town public land.

Residents in the town of Fryeburg, Maine have had a harder time in the battle to ward off Nestlé.  For the past several years the community has been embroiled in a legal battle that has racked up a daunting $60,000 in legal fees for a group of local citizens. At present, Nestlé Waters NA has filed appeal documents at the Maine Supreme Court for the second time.

Groundwater resources are not protected by any state or regional law. Only by enacting comprehensive ordinances defending water at the local level can a community effectively keep water companies from taking control of aquifers.

For more information, contact Amy Dowley of Food & Water Watch at (202) 683-2483 or Jamilla El-Shafei of Save Our Water at (603) 969-8426.


Food & Water Watch champions healthy food and clean water for all. We stand up to corporations that put profits before people, and advocate for a democracy that improves people’s lives and protects our environment.

###

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version

Monsanto's Roundup is a "probable human carcinogen." We need to ban it!

Get the latest on your food and water with news, research and urgent actions.

Please leave this field empty

Latest News

  • Trump’s Out, Biden’s In! Now The Fight Of Our Lives On Climate Begins.

    Trump’s Out, Biden’s In! Now The Fight Of Our Lives On Climate Begins.

  • Biden’s 100-Day Must-Do List for a Cleaner, Healthier Country

    Biden’s 100-Day Must-Do List for a Cleaner, Healthier Country

  • Fracking, Federal Lands, And Follow-Through: Will President Biden Do What He Promised?

    Fracking, Federal Lands, And Follow-Through: Will President Biden Do What He Promised?

See More News & Opinions

For Media: See our latest press releases and statements

Food & Water Insights

Looking for more insights and our latest research?

Visit our policy & research library
  • Renewable Natural Gas: Same Ol' Climate-Polluting Methane, Cleaner-Sounding Name

  • The Case to Ban Fracking on Federal Lands

  • Dangerously Deep: Fracking’s Threat to Human Health

Fracking activist with stickersFracking activist in hatLegal team loves family farmsFood & Water Watch organizer protecting your food

Work locally, make a difference.

Get active in your community.

Food & Water Impact

  • Victories
  • Stories
  • Facts
  • Trump, Here's a Better Use for $25 Billion

  • Here's How We're Going to Build the Clean Energy Revolution

  • How a California Activist Learned to Think Locally

Keep drinking water safe and affordable for everyone.

Take Action
food & water watch logo
en Español

Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold & uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people’s health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.

Food & Water Watch is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Food & Water Action is a 501(c)4 organization.

Food & Water Watch Headquarters

1616 P Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20036

Main: 202.683.2500

Contact your regional office.

Work with us: See all job openings

  • Problems
    • Broken Democracy
    • Climate Change & Environment
    • Corporate Control of Food
    • Corporate Control of Water
    • Factory Farming & Food Safety
    • Fracking
    • GMOs
    • Global Trade
    • Pollution Trading
  • Solutions
    • Advocate Fair Policies
    • Legal Action
    • Organizing for Change
    • Research & Policy Analysis
  • Our Impact
    • Facts
    • Stories
    • Victories
  • Take Action
    • Get Active Where You Live
    • Organizing Tools
    • Find an Event
    • Volunteer with Us
    • Live Healthy
    • Donate
  • Give
    • Give Now
    • Give Monthly
    • Give a Gift Membership
    • Membership Options
    • Fundraise
    • Workplace Giving
    • Planned Giving
    • Other Ways to Give
  • About
  • News
  • Research Library
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Donate
Learn more about Food & Water Action www.foodandwateraction.org.
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • 2021 © Food & Water Watch
  • www.foodandwaterwatch.org
  • Terms of Service
  • Data Usage Policy