Maine

Bottlers, States and the Public Slug It Out in Water War Rights to Resource Are at Odds With Fears of Shortage
The problem with Lovewell Pond, Howard Dearborn thinks, is the water that's not in it. Dearborn, who has lived on the pond's shores since the early 1950s, says its water has turned from clear and sandy to dark and weedy in the past year. He thinks the problem is a cutback in clean water from a nearby natural spring, which used to dilute the murky flow coming in from the Saco River. Now, though, millions of gallons of the spring's water are pumped into tanker trucks bound for a Poland Spring bottling plant. Buy This Photo Howard Dearborn, 88, says Lovewell Pond in Fryeburg, Maine, is murkier since a bottler began pumping nearby. Howard Dearborn, 88, says Lovewell Pond in Fryeburg, Maine, is murkier since a bottler began pumping nearby. (By David A. Fahrenthold -- The Washington Post) Graphic Bottled Water Boom U.S. consumption of bottled water has more than doubled in each decade since the mid-1970s. Who's Blogging? Read what bloggers are saying about this article. * MaineCommonwealth | Miller for Governor - Because Maine can't wait. * Rant-O-Matic * Uncommon Thought Journal Full List of Blogs (5 links) » Most Blogged About Articles On washingtonpost.com | On the web Save & Share * Tag This Article Saving options 1. Save to description: Headline (required) Subheadline Byline 2. Save to notes (255 character max): Subheadline Blurb None 3. Tag This Article "Where do they think the water was going before they took it?" asked Dearborn, 88.

Poland Spring makes deal on lawsuit
Poland Spring Water Co. has negotiated a proposed settlement for a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company's bottled water does not come from a spring and is not completely safe.

Nestle is sued for false claims about bottled water
Food giant Nestle has duped Americans who buy Poland Spring bottled water into thinking it comes from a lush spring tucked deep in the woods of Maine, according to a class-action lawsuit filed Wednesday. Instead, most of the sources for Poland Spring are either surrounded by asphalt parking lots or potentially dangerous contamination, according to the lawsuit filed against a subsidiary of Swiss-based Nestle SA.

Bottled Water Fraud
Is the bottled water that cost you $1.79 really any better than filling your cup from the tap? It may not be. During the dramatic rise in bottled water consumption in the last ten years, some bottling companies have stretched their original water sources so thin they began to use common groundwater and wells near hazardous contamination, all the while touting their bottled water as naturally pure and pristine.

There's no spring in Poland? Then don't drink the (bottled) water
You can almost hear Linda Richman saying it on a Saturday Night Live "Coffee Talk" sketch: "Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic. Poland Spring natural spring water is neither natural nor spring water. Discuss." Or: "Neither ice nor a mountain is involved in the production of Ice Mountain water."

Bottlers sue state over law on labels
A manufacturer's group has filed a lawsuit to block a Maine law that would require bottled water labels to identify the water's source.

Nestle Sued for Falsely Advertising 'Poland Spring' Water
In a class-action lawsuit filed today, consumers claim that Nestle Waters North America (Nestle), a subsidiary of Nestle S.A. (OTC:NSRGF.PK), falsely advertises its top-selling Poland Spring brand bottled water. The suit alleges Nestle uses heavily treated water taken from common ground water sources when bottling Poland Spring, but then labels the bottles as spring water and charges consumers a premium price for supposedly higher quality water.

'Willful' OSHA violations
Federal inspectors of workplace safety are proposing $91,500 in fines against Poland Spring Bottling, the nation’s leading producer of bottled water. An inspection turned up 13 serious violations. Poland Spring water division is a part of the Nestlé/Perrier Group.

Range ponds/Poland Spring deal brings criticism
Just below the earth's surface in Poland lies a spring-water gold mine that earns millions of dollars for private business every year.

ABC News: Water Worries - Critics Say Bottled Water Rules Too Lax
The Poland Springs bottler in this article comes is located in Maine.

All Things Considered
People in the town of Poland say they're concerned the company will pump so much water out of the local aquifer that residential wells will suffer.

Water giant to expand
The site of a new bottling plant for Poland Spring could also include a new source of spring water.

Water Sample
Ayuh, that Tim Sample fella's going to the shores of Lake Michigan to try to get those city folks to spend good money for Poland's popular potable.

Water buoys
Poland Spring and Range ponds are about to enter into an agreement that sends water to the bottling company and money to state parks.

Range ponds/Poland Spring deal brings criticism
Just below the earth's surface in Poland lies a spring-water gold mine that earns millions of dollars for private business every year.

Two 'willful' OSHA violations
Federal inspectors of workplace safety are proposing $91,500 in fines against Poland Spring Bottling, the nation’s leading producer of bottled water.