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Essay / The bottled water industry: a profit-driven privatization
Bottled water is the other form of water privatization and is a profit-driven business on a global scale . It is important to include bottled water in the same discussion as municipal water sources, primarily by looking at how developed countries deal with water issues. Both Europe and the United States have relatively safe water and infrastructure that provides water to all citizens compared to developing countries. However, the problem for developed countries is the bottled water industry and the constant problems with expansion. “Bottled water is second only to soft drinks as the world's most consumed beverage, surpassing 56 billion gallons in 2010.” The bottled water industry has become increasingly popular and is an easy way to get a clean drink. First, bottled water is a convenient product that does not replace tap water, but rather bottled water that consumers can use on the go. Bottled water suppliers would agree that bottled water is not a substitute for tap water and that it is convenient. However, more and more people are turning to bottled water as their primary water source. A 2003 Gallup poll showed that 74% of Americans drink bottled water, and 20% drink it exclusively. The irony is that most bottled water comes from municipal water sources. About half of all bottled water sold in the United States today is filtered municipal tap water. Nestlé is the only brand, compared to Coke's Dasani and Pepsi's Aquafina, that sells from both municipal and spring sources. Nestlé Waters is the largest and most profitable bottled water company and the largest supplier of spring water. In North America, Nestlé made a profit of $4.2 billion in 2009. It owns 15 water brands and operates 50 spring water extraction sites in 15 US states. Part of the reason the bottled water industry is becoming such a large and profitable business for businesses is due to campaigns targeting the positive aspects of bottled water, while also changing public perception of with regard to tap water. Nestlé owns a bottling plant that residents tried to derail. by the time the public became aware of the company's interests, it was too late. Fryeburg is a rural community of 3,083 people and has led actions to try to oust Nestlé. Even though Nestlé is investing $430 million in Maine's economy, the water belongs to the city and its residents, residents say. In the state of Maine, laws allow Nestlé to have absolute dominion, meaning whoever owns the land has rights to the water beneath it. Besides the price of permits and the cost of land, Nestlé extracts the water essentially for free. Some residents are concerned about Lovewell Pond, citing deterioration and new green slime. Fryeburg residents' main concern is that Nestlé is extracting too much water, which would lead to the depletion of aquifers. Jim Wilfong started a group called H20 for Me that fights for water conservation. The legal battle between the residents of Fryeburg and Nestlé still continues more than a decade later, in 2016. Currently, Nestlé continues to extract water and the residents of Fryeburg await the Court's decision supreme of Maine to find out if Nestlé also pumps water.