Were Foreign Companies Stealing Great Lakes Water?

In 2018, there was a public comment period during which over 80,000 Michigan residents submitted objections to a permit that allowed Nestle to pump over half a million gallons of water a day from Michigan aquafers—a public resource—and bottle it in single-use plastic and sell it back to us. It’s an ongoing example of utter foolishness, with unfettered exploitation of limited natural resources for a foreign company’s profit. Is it stealing Great Lakes water? Legally? No. Practically? Yes.

Michigan Public Objects to Nestle

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, DEQ, heard a lot from Michigan residents. The public opposed Nestle’s proposal to double the amount of water pumped from Michigan’s major aquifer. The results were 75 in favor and 80,945 against. Clearly, residents object to the theft of Great Lakes Water.

Nestlé can pump millions of gallons of groundwater for a measly $200 per year DEQ permit. There are approximately 3,000 high-capacity wells registered with the state. They withdraw at least 100,000 gallons of water a day. However, most are farmers who irrigate their fields to grow crops.

Foreign Companies Profit on Our Water Resource

Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting.
– Mark Twain

Nestle, a company based in Switzerland, currently sucks up and exports up to 250 gallons a minute from a well in Evart, Michigan. In 2018 it wanted a new permit allowing the company to pump 400 gallons of water each minute of the day, 365 days a year.

The Michigan EGLE received unprecedented public comments on Nestle’s pompous request. This comment process started in 2016.

In 2021, Nestlé sold its North American water brands to One Rock Capital Partners and Metropoulos & Co. for $4.3 billion. The sale included brands like Arrowhead, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Poland Spring, Zephyrhills, Ozarka, and Splash, as well as the U.S. office beverage delivery service ReadyRefresh.

Michigan EGLE Without Power

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is powerless to stop the foreign company from proceeding with its pumping. Nestle could continue to pump out and bottle water despite overwhelming public opposition.

“We can’t, and we don’t have the power to say no arbitrarily. We can’t just say no for reasons that aren’t attached to the law,” said Matt Gamble, the Department of Environmental Quality supervisor who’s coordinating the response effort.

Another governmental body, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers (GSGP), unites the chief executives from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec, and Wisconsin. Through GSGP, the Governors and Premiers work as equal partners to grow the region’s $6 trillion economies and protect the world’s most extensive surface freshwater system.

Legislative bodies, like the Great Lakes Water Authority, will have to step up and lead. We are not hopeful that Lansing’s current leadership will prevent foreign companies from stealing Great Lakes water.

Is it Stealing Water From the Great Lakes?

Wind Energy Lawsuit - Stealing Great Lakes Water

Some question using the word “stealing,” with Nestle pumping millions of gallons of fresh Michigan groundwater for their profit. We refer to the reference definition of stealing as defined by Webster as “to appropriate to oneself or beyond one’s proper share.” Nestle is taking advantage of Michigan’s $200 permit to allow farmers to pump groundwater for irrigation, not for selling. The Great Lakes Water Authority has no jurisdiction in cases like this.

Chinese Foxxcom Wanted Lake Michigan Water

In 2018, Foxconn Technology Group, a major Chinese electronics manufacturer, sought a substantial amount of water from Lake Michigan, specifically 7 million gallons per day. This request is part of their operational requirements for a new manufacturing facility. The extraction of such a large volume of water raises environmental and regulatory concerns, particularly regarding the Great Lakes Compact and the impact on the lake’s ecosystem and water levels. There are also discussions around the legal and ethical implications of allowing a private corporation to draw from a natural public resource at such a scale.

The situation has sparked a debate among local communities, environmentalists, and policymakers. On one side, there are arguments in favor of economic development and job creation that the Foxconn facility is expected to bring. On the other, there are serious concerns about sustainable water use, conservation efforts, and the precedent this may set for future extractions from the Great Lakes, which are a critical freshwater resource for the region.

Nestle Makes Millions Bottling Free Water

MLA Citation For this Story

Staff, Thumbwind. “Are Foreign Companies Stealing Great Lakes Water? •.” Thumbwind, Thumbwind Publications, 24 Nov. 2021, thumbwind.com/2018/03/06/foreign-companies-stealing-great-lakes-water.