Nestlé Waters Canada officials say the company’s recent purchase of the Middlebrook well property near Elora is an “important investment” in the county, while a local citizens’ group calls it “risky.”
On Aug. 12, Nestlé Waters announced it has proceeded with the purchase of the Middlebrook Water Company’s five acre property on Middlebrook Road.
Nestlé has had a conditional offer on the land for 18 months but decided to activate a clause to proceed now with the purchase when another party made a firm offer on the property.
The company is seeking an extension of the site’s current permit to draw 300 gallons of water per minute (1.6 million litres per day). It is waiting on a permit from the Ministry of Environment and Climate change (MOECC) for a pump test of the well.
“We are happy to make this important investment in Wellington County, where we have been an active and proud community member for the last 15 years,” Nestlé Waters Canada CEO Debbie Moore stated in a company press release.
Members of the citizens group Save Our Water disagree the purchase marks any sort of investment, noting Nestlé already has access to over four million litres of water per day from its other two Wellington County wells, located in Aberfoyle and Hillsburgh.
“This purchase changes nothing really as the Permit to Take Water has not been granted for the pump test and, with no public support or social license to operate at the Middlebrook site, Nestle has made a risky purchase,” stated group member Donna McCaw.
“Of course, SaveOurWater.ca will continue to oppose the permit.”
Moore stressed Nestlé Waters remains committed to the property as a “supplementary source” to support its current operations, and has been engaging with the community while awaiting the pump test permit.
Andreanne Simard, the company’s natural resource manager, added “we will reserve any decision on drawing from the source until a thorough test has been conducted to ensure there is no negative impact on the watershed and surrounding ecosystem.”
Nestlé officials say the test will produce “sound scientific data, validated by an independent third party” that will be “provided to the community and local conservation management organizations … to improve and inform long-term comprehensive sustainable water management.”
The company stated in its press release that it “has a proud record of sustainable water management and commitment to the community,” including support for various local organizations.
Save Our Water members however, stress that any water taken from the Middlebrook site “would be trucked to Aberfoyle seven days a week, bottled in single-use plastic packages, and then shipped away.” The group is also concerned about what it calls “outdated legislation” that requires Nestlé Waters to pay less than $4 per million litres extracted to the MOECC.
“Granting a permit to take water that would remove 1.6 million litres of water a day from a stressed and sensitive watershed would be irresponsible in light of the local need for the water,” said McCaw, who noted Centre Wellington is projected to double in size in the coming decades.
She added, “Water resources are not protected against corporate greed. The time to act is now and not when the water is being trucked away daily.”
