Panel shelves proposal to review bottling plants

State legislation that would have obligated the proposed water bottling plant in Creston to an additional review under the Major Facility Siting Act was tabled Monday.

Senate Bill 215, sponsored by Sen. Bob Keenan, R-Bigfork, did not specifically name the facility being proposed by the Montana Artesian Water Co. But none of the existing plants in the state manufacture bottled water at the minimum rate of 100 acre-feet per year that would have triggered the additional environmental review.

Seeking a permit to bottle 588 acre-feet of groundwater annually, the planned facility has raised concerns among nearby residents that the withdrawals could lower the water table around the plant and cause additional impacts including heightened traffic and environmental degradation.

The local controversy surrounding the proposal boiled over into the Legislature last week, when nearly a dozen residents from the Flathead Valley testified before the Senate Natural Resources Committee in support of Keenan’s bill. It was opposed by the company behind the project, as well as a representative from Giant Springs Source, a water-bottling facility based in Great Falls.

The Senate panel voted 10-2 to table the bill, meaning it is unlikely to pass this session unless the full Senate votes to remove the bill from committee for consideration.

Keenan has requested one other bill, still being drafted, that would apply to water-bottling facilities in Montana.

In an interview last week, Keenan said it would assess a 5-cent-per-gallon fee on water bottled within the state and use the revenue to help fund aquatic invasive species programs in Montana.

He said he’s still working with his colleagues on the proposal, and suggested it may instead be incorporated into a larger spending bill.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or swilson@dailyinterlake.com.