Public Interest Prevails as Citizens of Gilchrist County Give Blue Springs Properties, Inc. the Boot: Permit to Bottle Water From Santa Fe River Revoked

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Public Interest Prevails as Citizens of Gilchrist County Give Blue Springs Properties, Inc. the Boot: Permit to Bottle Water From Santa Fe River Revoked

Joint Statement of Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter and Our Santa Fe River, Inc. President Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson

Washington, D.C.–This week, the Suwannee River Water Management District’s governing board voted unanimously to revoke Blue Springs Properties Inc.’s permit to bottle water from the Santa Fe River in High Springs, Florida. We applaud this decision and thank the Water Management District for its commitment to protecting the area‚ delicate ecosystem.

“The proposed facility would have pumped a minimum of 500,000 gallons of water a day from this vital and vulnerable natural resource. The facility also would have increased traffic, with over 100 trucks a day entering the area, adding a significant amount of pollution and noise, while compromising the safety of local roads.

“Today’s decision is a great victory, and we would like to thank local residents in particular, who have come out to oppose the bottling facility. The battle to stop this facility has been raging for over two years and it is the dedication of these activists that led to its demise. Public interest prevailed because citizens showed up and lent their voices to this extremely important cause.

“We hope this victory will serve as inspiration for other communities that are mobilizing to stop the confiscation of their water by corporate interests. Water should be publically controlled, not commoditized and sold back to consumers at over 250 times its actual value.”