Perrier Seeks Water from Pristine Wisconsin Spring
12/24/99
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Title: Perrier seeks water from pristine Wisconsin spring
Source: Reuters
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: December 24, 1999
CHICAGO - A proposal by mineral water company Perrier to tap into a
pristine Wisconsin spring has stirred misgivings among some
environmentalists who say the project could endanger a rare natural
spawning ground for native trout.
Perrier Group of America, Inc., a unit of Swiss-based food giant
Nestle SA , said it has undertaken environmental studies to determine
the feasibility of the project. Perrier plans to sell water under its
Ice Mountain brand, probably drawn from an underground aquifer
feeding the Mecan Springs in central Wisconsin.
Mecan Springs and the surrounding wetlands and headwaters of the
Mecan River are part of a prized nature preserve where rainbow, brook
and brown trout reproduce naturally and numerous waterfowl raise
their young.
Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources, which is demanding
elaborate environmental impact studies from Perrier that will likely
take months to complete, does not allow camping around Mecan Springs
and restricts human foot traffic during bird nesting season.
"We don't want people in there tromping around when waterfowl are
nesting and migrating," said the department's Franc Fennessy. "Even
if there is not an environmental impact (from Perrier's project),
this thing is not guaranteed."
Preliminary negotiations between the company and the state took place
earlier this week. Environmentalists are watching the talks closely,
citing research that shows even a slight reduction in the springs'
flow might raise the downstream water temperatures above what the
trout can stand.
"This is one of the premier trout streams in the state," said
University of Wisconsin professor of regional planning Stephen Born,
who is also a leader of the environmental group Trout Unlimited.
"There are important wetlands, or fens, and it is one of the few
streams in Wisconsin with natural reproduction of brown trout, brook
trout and rainbow trout."
Born said numerous aquifers across Wisconsin contained traces of the
same good-tasting minerals the company could tap instead, but Perrier
was attracted to the Mecan site by the prospect of selling spring
water.
Both sides agree that pending hydrological studies will show the
aquifer under the area is feeding Mecan Springs, and therefore the
bottled version of the underground water will qualify as "spring
water" under federal regulations.
A spokeswoman for Perrier said the company, which sells 15 brands of
domestically produced bottled water, is looking at other potential
water sources in the Midwest in its effort to meet burgeoning demand.
Demand for bottled water has exploded in the past 10 years, and has
grown around 10 percent in each of the past two years into a $4.33
billion industry, said Jane Lazgin, a spokeswoman for the Greenwich,
Conn.-based Perrier Group of America.
"Our criteria include a plentiful supply of protected spring water, a
taste profile that would appeal to consumers, and nearby highways for
transport," she said. The company would build a bottling plant on
nearby private land.
"We want to see those studies to make sure there is no environmental
impact," Lazgin said. "Our interest is preserving these springs and
keeping them safe and healthy."