Press releases
Food & Water Watch, Corporate Accountability International and Council of Canadians Endorse Global Water Crisis Film “FLOW” - Filmmaker Calls On Senators Obama and McCain to Bring the Water Crisis Into the Presidential Debate
NEW YORK, NY – August 7, 2008 – Today, several leading United States and Canada-based advocacy groups have joined forces to support the highly anticipated U.S. theatrical release of FLOW (www.flowthefilm.com) by Oscilloscope Pictures, a distribution company founded by Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys. The announcement was timed to coincide with Nestlé Company’s (VTX: NESN) plan to release its half-year results today and follows headlines detailing recent setbacks for Nestlé Waters’ original contract with McCloud, California to build a one million square foot bot tling facility. The coalition includes several organizations such as Food & Water Watch, Corporate Accountability International and the Council of Canadians.

THE PROTECT OUR WATERS COALITION RELEASES THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT REGARDING: NESTLÉ’S ACTION TO CANCEL ITS CONTRACT TO BUILD A WATER BOTTLING PLANT IN MCCLOUD, CA
Press release, August 5 ,2008
McCloud, CA – The Protect Our Waters Coalition (composed of the McCloud Watershed Council, California Trout, and Trout Unlimited) is pleased to learn that Nestlé Waters North America has agreed to cancel its contract with the McCloud Community Services District (District) to build a water bottling facility in the town of McCloud.  

Nestlé Waters North America To Begin New Contract Negotiations  With McCloud Community Services District - Community Forums On Project To Begin In September
Nestle press release, August 5, 2008
McCloud, CA –Nestlé Waters North America announced today that it is stepping out of  its initial contract to purchase spring water from the McCloud Community Services  District and looks forward to negotiating a new contract with the District. The new  contract will better reflect the company’s smaller project now envisioned in McCloud and  community feedback on this proposal.

Atty. Gen. Brown Warns Nestle Of Legal Challenge To Water Bottling Plant: Brown Warns Nestle Of Legal Challenge To Water Bottling Plant
Office of the Attorney General press release, July 29, 2008
SISKIYOU--Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today warned Nestle that California will challenge the environmental plan for a bottled water plant in Siskiyou county if the company does not revise its contract to pump water from the McCloud River.

“It takes massive quantities of oil to produce plastic water bottles and to ship them in diesel trucks across the United States,” Attorney General Brown said. “Nestle will face swift legal challenge if it does not fully evaluate the environmental impact of diverting millions of gallons of spring water from the McCloud River into billions of plastic water bottles,” Brown added.

Read the Attorney General’s letter to the Siskiyou County Planning Department by clicking here or on the image to the right.

Statement from Protect Our Waters Coalition regarding Attorney General Warns Neslte of Legal Challenge to Water Bottling Plant
July 29, 2008
The Protect Our Waters Coalition (composed of the McCloud Watershed Council, California Trout, and Trout Unlimited) agrees fully with the California Attorney General’s letter to the Siskiyou County Planning Department regarding the wide-ranging problems associated with the proposed Nestlé water bottling plant in McCloud.

The coalition opposes Nestlé’s current project proposal.  Its member organizations are concerned about the impact the plant will have on McCloud’s environment and economy. Like the Attorney General, the coalition seeks to ensure that Nestle is held accountable to do everything possible to identify and to mitigate the plant’s negative environmental impacts.  

Protect Our Waters Coalition Sees Planned Nestlé Studies, Community Engagement Approach for Revised McCloud Project as Good News
McCloud, Calif., June 3, 2008 – After years of battling the proposed Nestlé water bottling plant in McCloud, CA, the Protect Our Waters Coalition (POW) announced today that it is optimistic about Nestlé Waters North America’s (Nestlé’s Waters) recent announcement that the company intends to begin negotiations this year with the McCloud Community Services District (MCSD) on a new contract to replace its 2003 contract with the MCSD, and will undertake additional scientific research on their proposed scaled-back water-bottling project in McCloud, California. 

Nestlé Waters North America Announces Additional Details of McCloud
Community Engagement, Scientific Studies and New Contract Negotiations
McCloud, Calif., June 2, 2008 – Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) today announced additional details regarding its plans for community forums, scientific studies and new contract negotiations surrounding its proposed project in McCloud, CA.

McCloud Watershed Council & California Trout Enlist Manatt: National Law Firm Joins Efforts to Protect Communities Rights against Nestle Waters North America
MCCLOUD, Calif., April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The McCloud Watershed Council and California Trout, who, along with Trout Unlimited, comprise the Protect Our Waters Coalition, announced today that they have engaged the national law and consulting firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. The firm will represent the Coalition in their fight to safeguard the rights and quality of life for residents of McCloud, California and beyond who would be affected by operation of a planned Nestle Waters North America water bottling plant in the Mt. Shasta area. Progress on the proposed plant, which would be the nation's largest, is mired in unanswered questions and conflicting economic and environmental assessments.

Statement from McCloud Watershed Council, California Trout, and Trout Unlimited in Response to Nestlé Concessions Regarding Proposed Water Bottling Facility in McCloud, California
McCloud, Califorinia, February 12, 2008 – We are encouraged that Nestlé has shown it is willing to establish real scientific benchmarks for how the plant would affect our water flows and our quality of life. Nestlé has acknowledged that its draft environmental review for a water bottling facility in McCloud must include additional studies before its long-term environmental impacts can be fully understood.  We extend our thanks to Nestlé for being willing to reopen the environmental impact report (EIR) process as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Nestlé Waters North America Makes Important Changes to Proposed McCloud Project; Asks Siskiyou County to Reinitiate CEQA Process
McCloud, Calif., February 11, 2008 - Nestlé Waters North America today announced plands to make changes to the proposed project description in McCloud based on feedback from the community. As a result, the company has also asked Siskiyou County to revise and recirculate the project notice of preparation. This will reinstate the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process so that the revised proposed project will be accurately evaluated and the public will have additional opportunity to provide input.

COMPREHENSIVE AGREEMENT FOR KLAMATH BASIN RESTORATION PROPOSED, SETS STAGE FOR HYDROPOWER AGREEMENT AND DAM REMOVAL
Klamath Basin, California/Oregon Border, January 15, 2008 – The details of a proposed Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement were released today by the Klamath Settlement Group.  The Group includes representatives from diverse Klamath Basin communities and officers from tribal, federal, state, and county governments that all have a stake in water and power management in the area.  The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement is the result of more than two years of negotiation among interest groups as varied as farmers who rely on irrigation water from the Klamath watershed system to conservation groups dedicated to improving habitat for fish and other wildlife.