OPINION: Want a bottling plant in your backyard?

Montana Artesian Water Co,. located in Creston, is seeking a water right permit from the state to pump 710 acre-feet of water annually from the underground aquifer, which is the equivalent of 1.2 billion 20-ounce water bottles.

The owner’s goal is to produce 140,000 plastic water bottles per hour, 24 hours a day, and 365 days a year at a commercial facility located on his farmland.

Some, including regulators, will argue the amount of water proposed to be pumped is no more than a typical farm irrigator. However, there are very real and profound differences. The proposed commercial bottling plant is a 24/7, year-round pumping facility. That mined water will never be returned to the aquifer. Farmers, on the other hand, irrigate only as needed for a few seasonal months with some of that water returning to recharge our aquifer.

Here are five reasons why the Montana Artesian Water Co., and any other water bottling plants, are wrong for the Flathead Valley.

1. Montana Water Belongs to All Montanans: The precious water resource that belongs to all Montanans will be commercially mined, bottled up and transported out of state. That clean precious water will never be returned to our aquifer. When commercial bottling operations pump millions of gallons of water out of the ground, there are millions of gallons less for neighboring shareholders.

When that amount of water is continuously pumped from one area, it causes the level of the water table to drop in a cone of depression. When the water table drops, surrounding neighbors, farmers and other stakeholders may need to deepen their existing well or drill a new well, which could be at a substantial cost. A lower water table could have huge implications for farmers, ranchers, homeowners, fish hatcheries and other stakeholders that require water for their livelihood. In addition, many people will likely lose property value.

2. Taking More than their Share of Water: Who or what agency is going to monitor the water taken from the Montana Artesian Water Co. well? Will the state commit to funding and set priorities for a long-term monitoring program of our aquifers to ensure sustainability? Will the county step up and adopt regulations to prevent these types of industries and be accountable for protecting our groundwater resources and quality of life?

Remember last year’s drought! There are unknown and real challenges that stem from drought conditions. Our aquifer is supplied mainly by melting snowpack. Do you honestly believe that our snowpack is going to increase in the future?

Once commercial bottling operations start pumping water, they’re going to take the water no matter what, because there are no local policies in place to stop it. It doesn’t even matter if there’s an extended drought cycle. We may never know the full impacts until it’s much too late.

3. What about Property Rights?: Many of you may be thinking that a bottling plant owner has a legitimate water right and should be able to do what he/she wants with the water located under their un-zoned property. What about the property rights of the adjacent and nearby property owners? To date, they have had no real say about how the Montana Artesian Water Co. bottling plant will negatively affect their neighborhood and property rights.

4. Downplaying the Real Cost to Taxpayers: Beware of commercial water bottling plants downplaying the real and negative local infrastructure impacts that they are likely to cause. There are real costs that are going to come out of your taxpayer pocket with probably little or none of the financial responsibility falling on the bottling plant owner.

Considering that there is currently no zoning and there is no mitigation required by the bottling plant owner, the taxpayer may be required to contribute to infrastructure improvements. For example, local farm roads near the proposed plant aren’t constructed to withstand constant, heavy traffic. Heavily used dirt roads create a lot of uncontained dust, which can be a health challenge to neighbors. Even if there were dust-control mitigations, the county is stuck with at least half the bill, which is paid for with your tax dollars.

If pavement is required, guess who pays for it? Large trucks will generate a lot of noise. For traffic safety, a signal could be warranted on Highway 35 at the intersection where the large trucks move in an out.

5. Sets Precedent for Future Commercial Plants: The price for allowing a bottling plant on unzoned land will be high for taxpayers and high for adjacent property owners and other stakeholders that depend on our water. Once the door is open, more plants will follow and why not? With no current zoning, policies, regulations, or mitigation requirements and taxpayers more than likely paying for any required infrastructure improvements, it’s a good deal. They make all the money, and we pay for it.

One last consideration, and it’s one of the most important. The Montana Artesian Water Bottling Co. can be sold at any time to a large global water predator such as Nestle. Conduct your own research and learn how Nestle has taken advantage of and devastated many small rural communities. After learning more, decide if allowing the uncontrolled commercial mining of our precious water is good for the Flathead.

Our quality of life in the Flathead depends on citizens voicing their opinions and getting involved in order to make real and positive change for all residents who depend on a clean, rechargeable and sustainable aquifer. The time is now to begin the process of saving our water for the future of all the people in the Flathead Valley.

To learn more, please visit WaterForFlatheadsFuture.org

Beverly Tocci-Storer is a resident of Bigfork.