In the Nestlé corporate office they must snicker about the Lehigh Valley. While communities across America fight to defend their water, Don Cunningham actually wooed them when he was County Executive. If that wasn't enough, the Wildlands Conservancy legitimizes them with contrived Nestlé children's days and other acts of prostitution. Nestlé returns the favor with substantial contributions to that corrupted organization.
Elsewhere, from Monroe County in the Poconos, to Casade Lords in Oregon, communities are fighting back against Nestlé, the biggest producer of bottled water in the world. Understand, that the water they extract is free, and they sell it for over a buck a bottle. Their business is worth hundreds of millions in Pennsylvania alone, billions across the country. With the corrupt Pennsylvania Department of Environment Protection's blessings, they are sucking Pennsylvania dry from seven different sites across the state, taking over 200,000 gallons from each location each day. They, like their local shill and student, The Wildlands Conservancy, feign concern for the environment.
Dead on!
ReplyDeleteNo analysis has ever been revealed as to the long-term effects as to impact to the aquifer.
Free water in today's environment of sustainability????
You hit it, Michael.
How about all the others? Coca-Cola? Etc. Etc.
We have no media that cares.
Michael, thanks for letting us know who is supporting the Conservancy. They are now on my banned list of products to use as well as the United Way. Thanks for all you do!
ReplyDeleteWell, I didn't realize this.
ReplyDeleteHow very unfortunate.
Don Cuningham's legacy.
ReplyDeleteOne of the fall outs from this might have been Kraft Foods. It was rumored a few years ago Kraft wanted to add juice lines and was told they could not extend their request for more water usage. Although I have no way of knowing for sure, it does make me wonder if part of their decision to shut down the facility might not have based (at least in part) because of the water authority's denial.
ReplyDeleteI assume you have never drank a bottled water, free? Nestle has bought the land on which the springs reside, they have invested millions in infrastructure, They have provided jobs for hundreds, just in the Lehigh valley. Ask the people of Flint and other places of disaster around the world if there should be bottled water available. They are also monitored with the amount of water used by the stream flow, They do not take all the water. They have also provided free water to servicemen and places of disaster. I just don't see the problem with Nestle other than they may be making a profit from their business, which seems to equal immorality in todays political climate.
ReplyDeleteAll out of the goodness of their heart
Deleteray@9:20, they have several water products. although their spring water comes from their wells, their purified water comes from LCA, which is mostly water from the allentown plant.
ReplyDeleteI may be wrong, but I thought Allentown takes water from the little Lehigh and it ends up back in the big Lehigh several miles down stream after is it used by the citizens. . Do they have wells in the Fogelsville area? I do know that water haulers get water down there somewhere, but I assume they pay so much a gallon for it, I know I have my own well and septic, so all my water gets recycled, it all goes right back where it came from. We use water, but we cannot use it up.
ReplyDeleteI am missing the connection between Wildlands and Nestle.
ReplyDeleteNestle gets away with things because this is Pennsylvania and we enjoy giving assets away for free. If they had to pay a tax on resources they tap from the ground in PA, they probably wouldn't be here.
ray@11:50, most of allentown's water is piped to lawrence street (martin luther king dr.) from schantz's spring. the little lehigh is used only to supplement when necessary. for that reason, when the little lehigh is contaminated from sewage runoff (LCA's main sewer line runs along the creek and overflows in heavy rains) they simply turn off the inlet from the little lehigh. the water map is very convoluted, with pipes coming from whitehall, and going out to macgunie. meanwhile, the DEP keeps giving more and more years to correct the sewage problems in the parkway.
ReplyDeleteanon@12:32, nestlé contributes to the wildlands conservancy, and they in turn don't say anything about the rape of local natural resources. several years ago, because of nestlé, the LCA was going to sink a new well right at the headwaters of the little lehigh, essentially creating a low water level for the entire length of the stream. although the real environmentalists were up in arms, wildlands conservancy remained silent.
Excellent post, MM.
ReplyDeleteOther than its warehouse in Fogelsville, Nestle Water North America owns eight parcels in Lynn Township totaling a little less than 80 acres. A good portion of that is the former Blue Rock Mountain Inc. Co.
ReplyDeleteI am informed that there is at least one other location in Lehigh County where they pay a "royalty" for extraction from a well on that person's property. Whether there are other such agreements, I do not know.
Certainly, they also impact our neighboring Counties as well.
Seems to me the "rape" characterization is a tad zealous. Nestle invests and provides water. LCA invests and provides water. The City invests and provides water, and if you have your own property, drill a well, and use it, you have invested and use water.
Certainly there is a need to be vigilant against overuse & quality, not unlike ranchers and farmers have a history of "warring" out west. Certainly too, our at least partially 100+ year old infrastructure of inter-related water, sewer and storm-water pipes needs to be attended to.
But I'm not as convinced as you that Nestle is a "culprit". In fact, they have a corporate interest in improving things. After all, they don't want to run out of water either, do they?
Thanks for the info on the water sources, I remember when they ran the sewerage pipes from Emmaus right down the little Lehigh, I always thought that was not a good idea. I believe there needs to be a review of placing all sewage plants on waterways, I doubt the private sector could get away with something like that. the problem is it would take a fortune to replace the existing facilities.
ReplyDeleteanon@3:01, nestlé is in the business of extracting water for sale nationwide. the others, LCA and the city, are public authorities which provide water for their municipality(s). btw, allentown sold/leased its operation to LCA. if nestlé runs out of water here, they can just pump more from another county or state.
ReplyDeletemichele@7:30am, i just found your comment on the blogspot "awaiting moderation" administrative page. for some reason, comments from people who have blog handles are not forwarded to me in the normal email fashion.
ReplyDeleteTo Ray N.
ReplyDeleteSewer plants are near waterways because the waterways represent the low point of gravity and it is inefficient to pump sewage uphill.
Sewer plants are also near waterways because they discharge their effluent into the waterway. If the plant functions properly, the effluent is often cleaner than the water in the stream to begin with. Most people don't believe that but ask a specialist in the field.
To M.M.
ReplyDeleteTo assume that Nestle would run us dry in the Lehigh Valley and simply move someplace else is to assume an opinion of guilt where there is no evidence to suggest it is true. As I said, they have a corporate interest to make a profit AND to be a good citizen and sustain their existence--they have a huge investment. Perhaps they have a bad history in other parts of the country or world, but I am not aware of it? If so, please let us know.
Also, I am less concerned about the Allentown long term lease to LCA in principle, of which I am well aware, than I am about where the heck the money went in the City's coffers?? That's what gets under my skin! It would have been irresponsible for the City to not have created a "next egg" with the monies, but my readings suggest at least some of it, if not all, has been spent elsewhere. Is there an accounting of that payment that has been made public--and of which I am not aware?
So...the LCA uses Little Lehigh River water to supplement only when necessary. When is it necessary? Why is it necessary? How often do we drink Little Lehigh River water?
ReplyDeleteThis is the same Little Lehigh River with all of the LCA manholes all along it?
And these manholes overflow with people's shit into the Little Lehigh River?
I'd like to know more about the water system that Pawlowski and corrupt Gary Strathearn leased to the LCA. Why aren't we all drinking the pure spring water?
ReplyDeleteanon 9:28pm, although all those proceeds were to pay down the pension obligations, at least $5million was used for different purposes, such as buying the two parcels from atiyeh, supposedly for the parks. the parcel west of schreiber's bridge was unnecessary and ill advised, but the other parcel by basin street had even less justification. council approved pawlowski's requests, as they always did. if there is a proper accounting of the remaining LCA payment, only council knows (or doesn't know, which is probably the case)
rich@2:37am, the water story is very complex. after lucent stopped producing silicon chips on union blvd., we had a surplus of water. that surplus allowed allentown to sell water to LCA, which grew with the western suburbs, especially servicing nestlé and others along rt. 78.
while the sewage main follow the little lehigh eastward to klines island, the water main from schantz spring follows the cedar creek to the plant on lawrence street.(cedar joins the little lehigh just west of schreiber's bridge) unknown to most of allentown, that old pipe from the 1905 era was relined in plastic several years ago. the process required digging large access pits, including one in union terrace park.
Mike, This is off topic but it may be a subject which as a property owner you may be aware of. Before we paid off the mortgage I noticed the Allentown city property taxes were paid two months early from the escrow account. When I inquired about this in The Allentown Tax bureau, I was blown off, they had no record of the withdrawal , the money did show up on the due date. I strongly suspect a slush fund was going on and somebody was pocketing the interest. This was in the 2000 decade. I'm going to the FBI with this, I kept and retain all records from this period. Think of the float on this money. We're talking millions over multiple years.
ReplyDeleteMicheal,
ReplyDeleteThis "Posting" of yours 02/12/016 has brought about the most informative comment section,on the condition our local water system, I have ever read. I thank all who have contributed....Keep up the good work (as I know you will)
"The Old Allentown Curmudgeon" Paul Fiske
The Lehigh River is a third auxiliary source of water for the city of Allentown.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this.. Most communities are given $$$$$ to let them take their water.
ReplyDeleteOur water is full of lead from the coal burning plants in the area