Good News/Bad News - Nestle

[mark2olson]

Good news regarding Nestle and the McCloud River...

"We," Nestle, "have concluded that we no longer have a business need to build a new facility in McCloud and we are withdrawing our proposal to build a bottling facility in your community."

Nestle in McCloud California

Nestle has decided to sell their property in McCloud, CA and establish a water bottling plant in Sacramento (which is bad news, the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta faces its own set of water problems).

"This summer we" Nestle, "were able to secure a site for a new bottling facility in the Sacramento area to help supply our customers in Northern California, the bulk of which reside in the Bay Area and Sacramento."

The proposed plant would have exported spring water from the McCloud River watershed threatening one of America's great rivers.

Business Week Magazine wrote a good overview of the problem in McCloud last year.

[jarredbehrendt]

The victory is bitter-sweet. Are there going to be further restrictions on water use in the San?

[mark2olson]

Originally Posted by jarredbehrendt

The victory is bitter-sweet. Are there going to be further restrictions on water use in the San?

State and Federal water must reduce the amount of water withdrawals, as ordered by the courts, by 30%.

As to whether further restrictions will be imposed, it is hard to say. The conditions, unfortunately, are such that further action may be taken by the courts:

• The conditions indicate that California may experience drought again this year.
• The snowpack in the Sierras is melting earlier and earlier each year
• The Delta Smelt are on the verge of extinction
• Wild salmon runs are in drastic decline
• The pumps themselves wreak havoc on the delta
• An overall solution to the Delta`s problems is still in the works

There are several factors that the overall solution must take into account including wetland restoration, repurposing the land in the floodplain, levee setbacks, and changes in zoning regulations. Most importantly, it will need to include conservation measures for users of Delta water. The EIS/EIR for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan is due out in draft in early 2010.