LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED BY MCWC

For immediate release: November 15, 2001
Jim Olson, Olson & Bzdok, P.C. Jim Samuels, Samuels Law Office
231-946-0044 231-796-8858
Terry Swier, President, MCWC, 231-972-8856

Thank you, Attorney General Jennifer Granholm, Rep. Dennis, MEC, MLUI, and others who spoke this morning. But most of all I want to thank the more than 1,200 members of Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation (MCWC). I am the president of MCWC a volunteer grassroots organization with the goal to conserve, preserve and protect the public's natural resources. MCWC organized when Perrier posed a threat to Mecosta County's water, but MCWC is in this for the long haul to bring about the long term protection of Michigan's water and our citizens use and enjoyment of that water for food, navigation, recreation, growth, employment and economy, and security.

According to the International Bottled Water Association, U.S. sales of bottled water grew to 3.6 billion gallons in 1998 and are growing at the rate of 10% per year, single-serving containers accounting for 75% of that growth. Michigan must act now to insure these plants are located in a manner that protects the local watershed from harm, and that insure that the Great Lakes basin as a whole is not impacted. Its our community today, it could be any community in Michigan tomorrow.

MCWC is concerned not only about the Water Resource Development Act, but the more fundamental question of the privatization of water. MCWC would like to see a license or use agreement, before any sale of raw water, distinct from beer, pop, canned food, or other food products. Water is part of the hydrological cycle of earth, unique to each watershed. Water is transient, not fixed in place like ore or oil and gas. It is incapable of ownership, but capable of reasonable use. 

If a precedent is set, with private companies withdrawing water from Michigan, the people of Michigan and the State will be robbed of their ability to assert their ownership of the commonly owned or held water.

To preserve the states and citizens claims to their water rights, MCWC and its plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit in September 2001 in Mecosta County Circuit Court for all citizens of the State of Michigan against Great Spring Waters of America "Perrier" and Pat and Nancy Bollman the owners of the Sanctuary Springs property where the spring water may be withdrawn. MCWC and its plaintiffs, who have a legal interest in the public trust and the waters of the State, are seeking to protect their rights and interest in the commonly held waters and the public trust or common interest in these waters from unlawful use, diversion, and appropriation.

Heidi Peterson, a student at the University of Michigan-Flint and a member of the Environmental Sciences Club asked, as have members of MCWC, at a discussion of water resource policy in Michigan, "Who is speaking for the citizens of Michigan on the issue of 'Who's Water Is It?'" The answer to that question is Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation. MCWC is the voice of the people. MCWC, through its members and friends will do whatever it can to protect this resource.

I want to thank all the members of MCWC I have been working with for their
hard work and commitment, and also want to thank the Attorney General, Rep. Julie Dennis, the legislators, and other environmental groups. MCWC can not do it alone, we need to all work together to develop solutions to both short term and long term water issues.

As I heard Dave Demsey from MEC say recently, what it comes down to is, "Are
we being good ancestors?"

http://www.housedems.com/preview.cfm?repID=13&articleID=1596


The Institute's account of the news conference is here:
http://www.mlui.org/projects/enviropolicy/corkit.asp

A posted version of Liquid Gold Rush is here:

http://www.mlui.org/pubs/specialreports/waterdiversion/page1.asp