LETTER: Deep aquifer is a treasure to all

A bottling plant? Drawing down our precious deep aquifer? Not for the public good but to expand a privately owned business?

Front-page articles regarding Lew Weaver’s request to produce up to 2 billion 12-ounce bottles of water annually from our treasured deep aquifer have alarmed nearby neighbors.

Dismissed lightly are the concerns of those well owners who “may have to lower their pumps or purchase new ones.” Also dismissed are the concerns of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Flathead Lakers’ environmental concerns, and the many privileged to have a well in the deep aquifer.

Too late to protest? “A legal advertisement was placed in the Daily Inter Lake’s classified section Jan. 27.” Darn! I missed it. At 90, I don’t usually read the classified ads. The article of March 9 says objections to the permit are due Friday accompanied by a $25 fee. Time and money will weed out some protesters.

Questions? How far beyond Creston might be the effects of a drawdown? Is this reminiscent of the early 1900s, when Montana’s natural assets were raped for private wealth? Is our precious water available to the highest bidder? The precedent set then and now is scary.

All Flathead County residents should be concerned. That deep aquifer is a treasure to all users.

—Shirley Anderson, Kalispell