Your Public Comments are Needed!

The OWRD public comment period is open through May 14th!

Don’t let the Oregon Water Resources Department approve this spring water for Nestlé water bottling.

Even though the OWRD has stated that it “cannot consider whether the bottling of water should be prohibited“. It must recognize that facilitating the transfer of publicly held water rights to a private entity is not wise long-term water management. Especially considering that now seven

counties in Oregon have declared a drought emergency.

You can submit your comments here.

Allowing this state agency to open the doors to a Nestle bottling plant not only sets a bad precedent, but this decision would lead to a wasteful an potentially unsustainable use of a public resource.

We recommend using some of the following language in your comment:

If OWRD approves the transfer applications, it risks creating a future water supply shortfall, putting the City of Cascade Locks, and potentially the State of Oregon, at the mercy of a multi-national corporation with a bad track record in the US and abroad.

It is clear that the only reason ODFW has submitted this new water transfer application is because it intends to transfer this water so that it can be sold to Nestlé. Allowing this state agency to open the doors to a Nestlé bottling plant not only sets a bad precedent, but this decision would lead to a wasteful and potentially unsustainable use of a public resource.

Oregon’s water is a public resource that should be managed for the benefit of Oregonians. I urge OWRD to deny these applications because of the potentially disastrous results it will have upon the community and the sustainability of Oregon’s spring water.

Thank you for taking action!

Major Momentum on The Keep Nestlé Out of the Gorge Campaign!

It’s been a busy time on the campaign to Keep Nestlé Out of the Gorge!

From last Thursday’s early morning action on the Hawthorne Bridge. 150 people held signs and chanted for Governor Kate Brown to protect Oregon’s water.

In the weeks following the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) and the City of Cascade Locks announced plans to seek a water rights transfer, instead of an exchange, in order to grant Nestle access to our public water supply. The transfer process is quicker and, alarmingly, does not require a formal public interest review. This attempt by a state agency to intentionally circumvent an outraged public is appalling.

Please take a moment to send Governor Brown a message, requesting that she intervene and stop the transfer of public water rights to Nestle. You can also give her a call at (503) 378-4582.

On April 16 we held a massive rally on the Hawthorne Bridge during morning rush hour in response to this latest proposal. About 150 protesters demonstrated their opposition to Nestle’s plan to bottle water from the Columbia River Gorge. In case you missed it, you can check out coverage of the event on KGW, KATU, KOIN, and The Oregonian.

We’re not the only ones upset by the new water rights transfer proposal. Oregon State Representative Ann Lininger and seven members of the Oregon State Legislature sent a letter to Governor Brown and the ODFW Director Melcher expressing deep concerns about the proposal’s elimination of the public interest review requirement and about the state’s role in Nestlé’s water bottling deal. They argue that this deal would “[establish] a dangerous precedent regarding use of Oregon’s water.” This letter is proof that our hard work is paying off!

If you would like to thank Representatives Lininger, Lew Frederick, Barbara Smith Warner, Ken Helm, Phil Barnhart, Alissa Keny-Guyer, Peter Buckley, Nancy Nathanson, and Senator Michael Dembrow for signing the letter to Governor Brown, you can find their contact information on the Oregon State Legislature webpage.

Urgent Action Needed!

According to this article from the Oregonian, the Oregon Deptartment of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) submitted an application on Friday to transfer part of its water right to Cascade Locks, opening the door for Nestlé’s proposed bottling plant. It wants the Water Resources Department (WRD) to put two other transfer applications on hold in order to expedite the process.

We need you to act right now to protect our water.

Not only does this new application result in the permanent water rights transfer of pristine Oxbow Spring water, but it also excludes a public interest review.

Since it is clear we cannot count on ODFW to do what’s right for Oregon we need real leadership from Governor Brown. Click here to act now and send Governor Brown your objections;

Call Governor Brown’s public comment line: (503) 378-4582.

Leave a message, or if you talk to someone tell them, “I want the Governor stop her state agency, ODFW, from giving away public water for a Nestlé bottling plant.”

And send your letter to the editors at the Oregonian: 150 words or less to, letters@oregonian.com. Include your name and phone number.

Remember, we have protected our public water resources from Nestlé for five years now, thanks to your actions – we can continue to win if we keep up the pressure on our new governor.

Stay posted! A 30 day comment period will officially start as soon as this Thursday if the Water Resources Department agrees to put the two other transfer applications on hold. We will need everyone who cares about this issue to participate in that public comment period making it clear to both our governor and our state agencies that a Nestlé water bottling plant is wrong for the Gorge and wrong for Oregon.