Maine lawmakers have defeated a bill that would have restricted large-scale groundwater pumping in the state. Bottled water giant Poland Spring lobbied aggressively against the bill.
The proposal would place a 10-year limit on large-scale water extraction contracts. Supporters of the bill said the restrictions would protect Maine's precious groundwater at a time of falling water levels across the country. The bill failed 21-12 in the state Senate on Thursday.
Poland Spring, a major Maine company, draws water from eight locations across the state, bottles it and sells it. A new contract of up to 45 years is being signed to supply water to the former mill town of Lincoln.
BlueTriton, which owns Poland Spring and other major bottled water brands including Arrowhead and Deer Park, has lobbied against the change. Last year, the New York Times reported that the company had drafted an amendment that would have killed the bill and circulated it to legislators.
BlueTriton is financially backed by private equity funds One Rock Capital Partners and Metropoulos & Co. Metropoulos & Co. paid $4.3 billion to acquire Nestlé's North American bottled water business in 2021.
The bill eventually made it to the full Congress, and BlueTriton continued its lobbying efforts. For example, one flyer distributed to lawmakers by Poland Spring lobbyists said the state's Office of the Public Advocate encouraged local water operators “to enter into water sales agreements whenever it is cost-effective.” But Maine Public Advocate William S. Harwood said in an email interview that he supports the 10-year limit. A previous version of the bill called for a seven-year limit.
In response to questions, BlueTriton stood by the statements in the circular and called it a “fact-based explanatory document.” The company also said it has a “dedicated team of geologists, hydrogeologists and engineers who work closely with state and local water agencies and environmental groups to protect and conserve water, a renewable resource.”
The bill failed in the Maine House and Senate, with Republicans and several Democrats voting against it. “It’s just a matter of time,” said Margaret M. O’Neil, a Democrat from Saco, southern Maine, who sponsored the bill. “Mainers don’t want Poland Spring to lock our communities into a bad deal, and it’s certainly not a bad deal that will last for decades.”
Democratic Rep. Mark Lawrence, who chaired the committee that considered the bill and voted against it in the state Senate, and Republican Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, who also voted against it, did not respond to requests for comment.