OPINION: No adverse impact from water bottling plant - seriously?

Let’s see here ... we’ll suck a chunk of Flathead Valley water out of the ground annually amounting to 721 acre feet, 235.1 million gallons, or for another visualization — rope off a piece of Flathead Lake about 1.1 miles square and drain it down 1 foot. Hello! That’s a pretty big bucket of water right there — I don’t care who you are!

That’s what Mr. Weaver wants to do with his scheme to add some two billion 12-ounce bottles of drinking water to the already eleventy-seven brands and varieties of bottled water lining the shelves of our grocery stores now. Take a walk down that aisle ... it’s mind boggling!

And all this, according to the water experts — private/commercial and governmental — will have “no adverse impact” on anyone else’s water in the valley. Really? Are you freaking serious?

Some of the experts have said that Weaver’s well will be guzzling water way down deep, below the surface water table. And, they say, there’s some sort of hard layer separating the two aquifers and the surface users will see no effect. OK ... up front, I’m not a hydrologist and it’s been a while since high school, but I think I remember that water tends to run downhill. This perhaps is speculation here, but I’m thinking that if you create a water void below, hydraulic pressure will then urge water on top to replace the missing water downstairs; and this hard layer in between? Have you ever had water dripping in the southwest corner of the house, and then discovered the actual leak in the roof was on the peak on the north end? Water is persistent — it will find a way.

I’ve only lived in the valley a little more than 60 years, during which time I’ve come to appreciate that the aquifer feeding the east side of the valley, around Echo Lake, through Many Lakes, towards Creston, etc., is a creature completely all to itself. It’s up or coming up when all the ponds, streams and such otherwise are down, and vice versa. Any hydrologist who’ll look you square in the eye and say he or she completely understands how this particular aquifer works or how extensive it is is also sizing you up for a real-deal sale of ocean-front property in North Dakota.

Apparently, Weaver’s scheme will use as much or more water in production as will eventually be lost on the store shelves, amongst all the other brands. This will be “rinse” water and geothermal heated water. It’s claimed the hot water will receive some cooling. It’d better! Ask fishery folks what happens when Hungry Horse Dam releases a big glut of water from the reservoir. (It doesn’t come off the top; it comes from deep down in the colder regions.) Ask the folks at the University of Montana Biological Station if they have any concerns over what a significant injection of heated water (even one or two degrees off normal) might do to the valley and lake water.

I’ve not personally met Mr. Weaver. I’m thinking, however, it’s an interesting person who can rationalize, justify and sleep well at night planning to make the perceived big buck off water, a horrendously precious commodity so important to his nearby neighbors, many others in the valley, and ultimately to those downstream. Hey, so what if Joe down the road has to re-pump his well or have it drilled down another 10 or 20 feet, at $80 to $100 a foot. We’re all friends and neighbors, right? I’m putting green in my pocket, right?

Before you ask, yes, I am a staunch proponent of capitalism and free enterprise. But not on the backs of my neighbors and innocents downstream, especially with an element that is as important as air for us all to survive.

I know we should be pleased and grateful that four to 15 people might be employed, the bottling plant buildings are painted a pleasing color, and traffic and road impacts can be addressed.

But it’s all about the water! It’s all about the water! It’s all about the WATER!

Lynn “L.D.” Gross is a resident of Bigfork.