Petition to the Suwannee River Water Management District Board and Staff:
"Reject the attempt by Nestle Waters to renew Seven Springs Water's consumptive use permit. Drawing 1.152 million gallons per day from the fragile and valuable ecosystem of the Santa Fe River and its springs is clearly not 'reasonable and beneficial and with the public interest.'"
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But Nestle wants to change all that. The water-hoarding corporate giant is trying to pump 1.1 million gallons a day out of the Santa Fe River area, even though the watershed is already listed as "in recovery" from earlier over-pumping.2 The blue waters of Florida's Santa Fe River and Ginnie Springs are home to 15 different species of turtles, including 11 native to the area, and a haven for those looking to respectfully enjoy the outdoors.1
The Suwannee River Water Management Board is currently investigating and taking public input. It could decide any day now whether to give Nestle the permit it needs. We have a short window to stand with locals who are speaking out against Nestle's disastrous plans.
The 1.1 million gallons Nestle wants each day is more than four times the record high the previous permit-holder Seven Springs pumped from the watershed. Nestle admitted as much in its application to renew an expired pumping permit it purchased from Seven Springs.3
As the world’s leading bottled water producer and owner of the Perrier and San Pellegrino brands, Nestlé already has a dismal track record on water conservation and human rights. In 2013, Nestlé was forced to back down after fighting a decision in Ontario, Canada that would have limited its water-taking in times of severe drought. That same year, Nestlé’s CEO famously challenged the human right to water.4
The Santa Fe River and related Ginnie Springs are already listed as "in recovery" after earlier exploitation.But Nestle recklessly wants to plunge ahead with a plan to rip four times as much water out of the area. It appears to be trying to game the approval process as well. The company applied for a five-year permit, likely to dodge the stricter scientific study requirements of a 20-year permit. But it is pouring millions into refurbishing and expanding a nearby bottling plant, which it wouldn't do if it planned to leave after only five years.5,6
"The Santa Fe River is already in decline," Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, one of the leaders of Our Santa Fe River, told reporters, "there’s not enough water coming out of the aquifer itself to recharge these lovely, amazing springs that are iconic and culturally valued and important for natural systems and habitats."7 We need to stand alongside everyone fighting to protect waterways from corporate destruction for profit by speaking out against Nestle's move now.
Tell the Suwannee River Water Management District: Don't let Nestle destroy the Santa Fe River. Click below to sign the petition:
Heidi Hess, CREDO Action
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References:
More Information:
NESTLÉ WANTS 1.1M GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY FROM FLORIDA BUT CONSERVATIONISTS ARE FIGHTING BACK - Newsweek |
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