Chaffee County’s three commissioners today unanimously approved a plan to ship Arkansas Valley spring water to Denver for bottling.
Nestlé Waters North America has spent the past two years researching a plan to annually draw 200 acre feet of spring water — about 65 million gallons — from a riverside spring near Buena Vista, send it via pipeline to a loading station and truck it to Denver for bottling under its Arrowhead brand.
After months of public input earlier this year, Chaffee County’s commissioners crafted a lengthy list of conditions designed to protect both the region’s water supply and the county’s economy. Nestlé agreed to the conditions to secure the county’s 10-year permit. They include:
The commissioners also required that Nestlé feed a mitigation fund, starting at $200,000, to reimburse the county for any county services and unanticipated expenses.
