Boston Globe contributor Tom Keane offers his perspective about attempts to ban bottled water. Enjoy the read.

More responses to inaccuracies about our project. We are happy to answer any questions people have. Send them to us.

Claim
Approving the water transfer could cause serious damage to Cascade Locks municipal water source.

Response
Cascade Locks has water rights in excess of what it is currently using, or would use, should Nestlé Waters North America open a bottling plant there.

Existing water rights for the city wells ~1800 gallons per minute
Current average daily use ~300 gallons per minute
Proposed NWNA use ~300 gallons per minute
Proposed resort casino use ~800 gallons per minute
Remaining water available ~400 gallons per minute

The city has additional water rights for Dry Creek and Moody Springs that add about another 5,000 gallons legally available for use. Source: city of Cascade Locks

Oxbow Springs

ODFW records dating to 1969 show that the historic water flow at Oxbow Springs is relatively constant, with seasonal variation in late summer and early fall. Source: ODFW records.



Claim
Scientists have not yet determined whether or not they (salmon from the hatchery or nearby Herman Creek) would be adversely impacted by this proposal.

Response
There are two studies underway, by scientists, to evaluate potential the safety of this proposal for fish at both the hatchery and Herman Creek. Both of these efforts were initiated by Nestle Waters in response to concerns openly expressed to us by various interested stakeholder groups.

The first is a year-long fish rearing test using water from the city’s wells.

This test was initiated in response to a request from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to ensure that their hatchery program can be safely and successfully operated with the small percentage of groundwater from the City’s wells to supplement the spring water flow. That test is expected to be completed in early 2011.

ODFW has publicly stated that a successful test raising fish in 100% of the city’s well water is a critical milepost that must be passed in order for the agency to support this effort.

The second effort involves measuring temperatures and water flows at the base of Herman Creek.

This activity, conducted this summer, came about precisely because groups working to improve habitat for salmon raised questions to Nestlé Waters regarding effects groundwater temperatures may have on the cold water refuge area that migrating fish use at the cove below Herman Creek.

Those groups, Trout Unlimited, Association of Northwest Steelheaders and the Native Fish Society, contributed to the development of protocol and monitoring program that will help us all better understand existing conditions at the cold water refuge. Read the Herman Creek Study Plan.

This is in addition to an extensive monitoring and data collection network at and around Oxbow Springs, Herman Creek and Little Herman Creek as part of Nestlé research to understand water quality and quantity. The nature of our monitoring network and preliminary data were shared with these stakeholder groups at a round-table meeting in May 2010 as part of our inclusive effort to ensure that we are evaluating the environmental characteristics of interest to these groups as we evaluate the overall proposed project.

We often use this site to respond to questions raised in the community. Nestle Waters works to answer questions and correct the record when appropriate.
Recently several inaccurate statements were published relating to issues about our proposed new bottled water facility in Cascade Locks. As regular visitors to this site will note, decisions have yet to be made regarding whether the facility will be built. Regardless, we hope you find this information helpful.


Claim
According to a USGS study, ground water levels are falling across the entire Columbia Plateau.

Facts
The USGS study compared water levels between 1984 and 2009 in 470 wells drilled in a variety of geologic areas across the Columbia Plateau.

According to the report, “Small to moderate groundwater-level declines were measured in most wells, although declines greater than 100 feet and as great as 300 feet were measured in many wells. Essentially unchanged groundwater levels were measured in other wells.”

In fact, the one well measured in Hood River - the closest one to Cascade Locks - with data from 25 years ago, showed no change in water level between 1984 and 2009. (Well # 454106121342401, USGS Report Appendix A).

However, the water sources in the USGS study differ from those serving Cascade Locks. There are major climate and geologic differences at play.

Climate differences – It rains more in Cascade Locks – a lot more

Pendleton: 13 inches of rain a year
source: Pendleton Chamber of Commerce

Cascade Locks: 70 inches of rain a year
source: city of Cascade Locks


Water source differences - Aquifers recharge faster in Cascade Locks

Eastern Columbia Plateau

Aquifers between layers of solid basalt.

Deep aquifer system. The average well depth for the USGS study was 460 feet.

Long recharge time, several thousand to 10,000 years. (Vlassopoulos, 2009)

Water use declining since 1930's due to historic overuse.


Cascade Locks

Permeable soil with large rocks and boulders from landslides and floods.

Comparably shallow aquifers: 100 feet at city well field (source: city of Cascade Locks well logs). Less than 50 feet at Oxbow Springs (source: visual observation)

Six to 12 months recharge from rainfall at city well field and Oxbow Springs, based on seasonal observations, ODFW records beginning in 1969.

Oxbow Springs, stable flow over time, as demonstrated by ODFW records beginning in 1969.

City records indicate stable water levels that follow trends in Columbia River stage.

Labels: Cascade Locks, Nestle Waters, USGS Columbia Plateau