Archive: Water Grabs

Victory in San Bernadino Valley

This article is excerpted from AP article by Adam Beam & Amy Taxin 9/19/23

What Legal Court Precedents and Legislation Regulates the Pumping and Sale of Water in Michigan?

As “The Great Lakes State,” Michigan has an essential duty to protect its freshwater resources. There are several important legal protections built into state law to protect our waters from contamination, pollution, and exploitation.

Whose Democracy?

After being rejected in Wisconsin, Nestlé Waters appeared in Mecosta and Osceola Counties, welcomed by Governor Engler and a huge tax break. MCWC formed in 2000 when the damage from the Nestle pumping appeared. We filed a lawsuit and spent a million dollars and nine...

End of Year Summary Report 2023

MCWC has managed to survive the Covid-19 Pandemic. However, we have found ourselves in a much different climate as a non-profit, all volunteer organization than we experienced before 2019. We are not unique in this respect. The Pandemic affected us all, and has been accompanied...

Editorial – Winter 2023

It is easy to get distracted from what really matters for our continued existence as a species when we are facing so many existential crises all at once: a major pandemic, species extinctions, the world water crisis, erosion of democracy, and climate change. What can...

Water Consumption & Destruction

Since coming to our state in 2011, Michigan Potash Company (MPSC) has avoided disclosing how much fresh water they will consume. The company initially “registered” with the DEQ (now EGLE) to withdraw from the Big Stone Creek watershed 1,200 gallons-per-minute which, although obscenely large, was...

Public Trust Bills to be Re-Introduced in Legislature

Three important bills will be introduced in the Legislature on March 17th. Once again the people will be looking to the Legislature to do the right thing for water and for the people they serve. These bills are not new and it is important that...

WE ARE NOT ALONE – News from the Troubled Waters Network

Benton Harbor: State of Michigan Sows Water Disaster in Another Michigan City, the People of Benton Harbor Fight a Corporate State for Clean Water

Our Fall issue reported on the situation in Benton Harbor with lead poisoning and the grassroots effort to force government to deal with it in a timely manner. We focused on the public health emergency it represented. The following is most of an article written...

Once Again Nestle/Blue Triton Dodges Justice

Ever since Nestle applied for the permit to increase pumping at the White Pine Springs well (PW 101) in Evart for its bottling operation in Stanwood in 2016, MCWC has been contesting this outrageous water grab. We have argued in public forums, educated across the...