July 18, 2018
"Nestle got approval from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to pump out 400 gallons of water per minute, and the Swiss-based company bottles that water to sell it for a huge profit.
Michigan only makes Nestle pay $200 per year for the permit fee."
September 29, 2008
Opponents say Nestle's pumping is lowering water levels in local creeks and lakes – systems that feed the Great Lakes. In Ontario, a hydrologist hired by a group opposing the Nestle plant reported that the company was using 7 percent of the local water supply and depleting the flow of a creek.
In both Ontario and Michigan, many residents are also angry that Nestle gets the water at low cost, paying the same rate as any other water user. But Terry Swier, president of Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, said she doesn't necessarily want the company to pay for the water. "Then with the financial situation Michigan is in, we would just open up the state to any water bottler," she said. "We have to preserve and protect the waters for future generations."
https://www.clickondetroit.com/consumer/help-me-hank/gov-rick-snyder-comments-on-deal-allowing-nestle-to-take-thousands-of-gallons-of-great-lakes-water
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/28/AR2008092802997_2.html?noredirect=on