Nestle Bottling Plant
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4/13/12
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12/28/11
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1/27/11
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12/28/10
Nestle has proposed to build a new bottling plant in the town of Cascade Locks on the Columbia River, capturing the pristine water of Oxbow Springs. Nestle would like to tap up to 100 million gallons of water a year from the Oxbow Spring. The spring is part of the Herman Creek watershed, known for its outstanding trail system. Herman Creek is also a thermal refuge for threatened steelhead. Currently, the spring supplies water for a salmon and steelhead hatchery run by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).There are many steps Nestle would have to take to make its dream of reaping enormous profits by bottling Mt. Hood 's pristine water come true. Right now the Oregon Water Resource Department (ORWD) is considering a water exchange between the City of Cascade Locks and ODFW that would allow Nestle to purchase the water from the city. They need to make a decision before any additional steps can be taken. We will keep you posted on any developments in this process. Should Nestle become a customer of the municipal water supply in Cascade Locks, they would be purchasing the water for a bargain of a fifth of a cent per gallon. Nestle would then sell this same gallon for about a buck and a half, a 1500 percent profit!Advocates of this proposal like to point out that a water bottling plant would provide 50 jobs in economically depressed Cascade Locks. Yet there is no guarantee that these jobs will go to locals. Also, if this project comes to fruition, large trucks will be barreling through downtown Cascade Locks every eight minutes, causing noise and pollution in this quiet and scenic town and the adjacent Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. We hope the Governor 's office will join us in opposing Nestle 's plan. We do not believe that Mt. Hood 's water should be sold in polluting plastic bottles for huge profits by a multinational corporation with a long history as a bad actor. The Keep Nestle out of the Gorge Coalition, which Bark is a member of, has been working with our policy makers and concerned citizens to educate the community on this issue. If you are interested in this effort, please contact our office and we will find a way to get you involved.
 
General Info
  • District: Columbia Gorge Scenic Area
  • Driving Directions: Follow Hwy 84 west out of Portland. Take the Weigh Station exit in Cascade Locks. Take right onto Frontage Road. The proposed bottling plant would be on the right. To hike into the Herman Creek area, visit www.portlandhiker.org for update status on the trail system.
Updated 1/27/11
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