Chaffee County’s commissioners Wednesday unanimously approved a plan to ship Arkansas Valley spring water to Denver for bottling.
Nestlé Waters North America has spent two years researching a plan to annually draw 200 acre-feet of water — about 65 million gallons — from a riverside aquifer near Buena Vista, send it 5 miles via pipeline to a loading station and truck it to Denver for bottling under its Arrowhead brand.
After months of public input and three day-long special meetings in as many months, commissioners crafted a lengthy list of conditions meant to protect the region’s water supply and the county’s coffers. Nestlé must agree to the 44 conditions to secure the county’s 10-year permit. Those conditions include:
• Wetlands and groundwater monitoring and mitigation plans
• Restoration of a fish hatchery
• Water augmentation plans to replace all withdrawals upstream of the Nestlé spring
• Wildlife and land-management programs at the spring site
• Hiring local workers and firms for pipeline construction and trucking
Bruce Lauerman, a hydro-geologist in charge of Nestlé’s bottling plan in Chaffee County, said the conditions were “primarily necessary and within reason.”
“Ultimately, I think the commissioners thought we responded well and we listened to the community and we designed our project to meet the needs of the community,” he said.
Nestlé Waters, a subsidiary of the Swiss conglomerate, draws water from 50 rural U.S. springs for its North American brands of water.
In March, the Aurora City Council approved a 10-year lease that allows Nestlé to use Arkansas River Valley water the city owns to replace water it draws from the Chaffee aquifer.
After Nestlé unfolded its plans late last year, the Chaffee Citizens for Sustainability formed to galvanize local opposition. The group bemoaned the decision Wednesday but found solace in the conditions imposed upon Nestlé.
