McCLOUD-MOUNT
SHASTA AREA
SPRING WATER SIGNED AWAY
IN
ONE OF COUNTRY’S
LARGEST WATER DRAWS
by
Save McCloud's Water Group
If you don't understand the importance of water go without it
for a day.
If you still don't understand it, go without it for four days.
— Walter Bresette, Anishinabe Activist
Water from Intake and Elk Springs on Mount Shasta was signed away
to international conglomerate Nestle in what may be one of the
largest water draws in the country (twice the size of Dannon's
in Mount Shasta).
Lack Of Community
Input
McCloud Community Service District Board Supervisor and General Manager, Pete
Kampa shocked the community when they signed on the dotted line without consideration
for community input. The contract was signed on October 1, 2003 much to the
surprise of all community members who attended the “public meeting." The
citizens were not allowed access to negotiations, were denied information
when asked at meetings, and finally in spite of numerous objections the contract
was signed proudly. “You’ve got to be kidding!” remarked
one person, “I thought they were going to take our questions and schedule
another meeting." These sentiments were echoed among the attendees.
But all was not lost. The smiles on the faces of the Nestle staff, the Board
Members and General Manager, Pete Kampa were not to be forgotten.
Nestle's
Take
The contract between Nestle Waters, N.A., a Division of Nestle S.A. and McCloud
Community Service District is a 50 year contract, renewable for another 50
years,
gives Nestle:
- 1,250
gallons per minute of spring water
- an unknown
quantity of well water for production purposes
- exclusive
rights to one of the Elk Springs
- the right
to run segregated pipes from the other springs for their exclusive
use
- the right
to control water; no other beverage business of any type may
exist in McCloud for 100 years
- an unlimited
amount of ground water
- all this
and more for the equivalent of 200 customer fees
Community
Costs
Now, the springs soon to be sucked and drained for private sale await their
fate. Nestled among one of the regions remaining old growth forests areas,
are the Squaw Creek Springs, currently known as Intake Springs. This old
growth forest is on Forest Service land, located about 3.5 miles northwest
of McCloud on the southeastern lower slope of Mount Shasta. The McCloud Community
Services District currently claims rights to use these springs for its community
services water district. Until 2002, these springs fed water to the town
through 10” redwood pipes (declared historical). A Department of Water
Resources water grant enabled the district to construct a new PVC 14” pipeline.
Clearly, this alteration of water in this Squaw Creek streambed has already
had major effects on this environment.
The McCloud
Service District also supplies water to residents through pipes
leading from enclosures at Upper and Lower
Elk Springs; part of the Mud Creek
system. These are on private land but also travel through Forest Service
land. Upper Elk is the largest of all three springs. Nestle,
of course, gets their
choice of which dedicated spring they would like.
While many
wonder how six people were able to make such a decision that
will ultimately affect not only McCloud, but also the entire
Mount Shasta area for
100 years, far too many seem to be pushing the rewind button on a movie scene.
You can change the country, state name, town name and the actors’ credits,
but the story line remains the same. You see, it takes only a few minutes of
dedicated research to find this exact story in small towns and underdeveloped
countries everywhere. We were targeted for many calculated reasons. But with
your help, we can change the ending. How
does this affect you?
- 300 trucks
on your highways and byways effects your environment,
your safety, your children’s safety and your convenience
- Nestle
plans to pump, market and sell water that feeds into
lakes and streams in your area.
- The water quantity
they are allowed
to take is phenomenal.
- It has been demonstrated
that there is a direct hydrological connection between the water pumped
and the springs,
lakes and streams
- Water from a municipal
system finds its way back into the watershed, water
taken from a spring, bottled and sold, does not
- Nestle
is the largest food company and water bottler in the world. It has
nearly unlimited resources.
How do you
think they
attained
these resources?
Current Events
- Nestle
has announced their purchase of the Cal Cedar Mill Site for it’s
water bottling plant, pending the Environmental Impact Review
- Siskiyou County
Planning has announced that a meeting will be held in McCloud to
discuss the Notice of Preparation.
- Some of the items
Nestle has announced that will be in the review are:
- Leveling of all
of the mill buildings at the Cal Cedar Site
(A group will try to save the
Historical Crane Shed)
- 300 trucks per
day – 24
hours a day, 7 days a week
- Drilling bore
holes at each of the three springs
- Wells to be dug
at the Cal Cedar Site
- 1,000,000 square
foot building (all of McCloud could fit into it)
Get Involved!
Call the County Planning Dept and get on their mailing list
Watch for meetings announced in the paper and attend
Email info@mccloudwater.com for volunteering, ideas, and to be
put on an e-mail or mailing list
Contact the Ecology Center at 530 926 5655 for more info
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