Water Bottling

McCloud, Calif. -

There are no plans to pull out of McCloud quite yet, which was reported in Monday’s Siskiyou Daily News, according to Dave Palais, Nestlé Waters North America’s natural resources manager for Northern California.

Palais, who has been involved with the plans for a bottling plant in McCloud for several years, said in an interview Monday that Nestlé has selected a site in Sacramento for a new proposed bottling facility, but the impact that facility will have on plans for McCloud is yet to be analyzed.

Crystal Geyser Water Co. officials will meet some Orland residents Thursday concerned with groundwater issues and the proposed opening of a new plant.

Vice President of Manufacturing Richard Weklych said he, President and CEO Peter Gordon and engineer James Standberg of Malcolm Pernie will have "casual, informal meetings with neighbors," he said Monday, adding "there is nothing secret about it and there are no big meetings planned."

Should nature be able to take you to court?

Last February, the town of Shapleigh, Maine, population 2,326, passed an unusual ordinance. Like nearby towns, Shapleigh sought to protect its aquifers from the Nestle Corporation, which draws heavily on the region for its Poland Spring bottled water. Some Maine towns had acquiesced, others had protested, and one was locked in a protracted legal battle.

Crystal Geyser Water Co. announced Friday afternoon that it has submitted an application to build a sparkling mineral water bottling plant in Orland.

Tri-County Newspapers reported June 13 that an unnamed company planned to conduct tests to determine the feasible of drawing groundwater and building a water-bottling facility near Orland.

At that time, environmental engineer James Strandberg, vice president of Malcolm Pirnie in Emeryville, said the company did not want to reveal its name until the it was determined that the area was suitable for the project.