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WIN! Shapleigh, Maine bans the selling of its water

The Portland Press Herald reports that, “Shapleigh residents have banned companies from drawing or selling its water.”
SHAPLEIGH
Shapleigh is a town in Maine with a population of approximately 2,326 people. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.

RESIDENTS VOTE AGAINST NESTLE BOTTLING ITS WATER “During a special town meeting Saturday morning, residents voted 114 to 66 to adopt the ban drafted by Protecting Our Water and Wildlife Resources, which had opposed (the Nestle company) Poland Spring’s efforts to test, draw, bottle and market the town’s water.”

POLAND SPRINGS HAD PLANNED TO START DRAWING WATER IN 2011 OR 2012 “Mark Dubois, natural resource manager for Poland Spring, said he was disappointed by the vote at the special town meeting…He said the company would have been looking to draw water from Shapleigh in 2011 or 2012, but noted that it takes a long time to gain the state and local permits that are needed.”

NESTLE IN MAINE
A Food and Water Watch media release from September 2008 notes, “Nestle Poland Springs already draws water from eight sites across the state of Maine, reporting that it drained 700 million gallons of groundwater last year. Nestle operates the largest spring water-bottling plant in North America in the rural town of Hollis, 25 miles east northeast of Shapleigh.”

MAUDE BARLOW
To see a video of Maude Barlow speaking on ‘who owns Maine’s water?’ at the Maine Water Symposium in March 2008, please go to http://defendingwaterinmaine.org

WEB-LINKS
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=242206&ac=PHnws

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/press/releases/shapleigh-stops-poland-springs-spigot20080924

Thank you to Council activist Ted Woynillowicz for sharing this news with us.

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