Nestle Waters might still build a bottling facility in northern Centre County, but it won’t be in Spring or Benner townships.
A statement from the company on Monday said it has decided not to pursue a proposal to draw water from Spring Township Water Authority.
Earlier this year, Nestle announced that Centre County was the leading candidate for a new bottling facility and that the company was exploring using Spring Township Water Authority’s Well 2. Constructed in 2016, the well serves as a backup well for the authority and Nestle would have used that to source water for its Deer Park brand while building a new one to serve as the backup.
Under the plan, Nestle would have become a customer of the authority, paying an estimated $525,000 per year, and would have constructed a new $50 million bottling plant in Spring Township or Benner Township.
Monday’s statement said that over the past few months the company has conducted a scientific review to evaluate factors including ‘the quality and taste of the water, what the science tells us about the hydrogeology and sustainability of the site, the local watershed, the logistics of transporting the product to the market, and much more.’
The company said it evaluates more sources than it could use and that most don’t meet its needs.
‘At this point in the process of considering the source, we have decided not to proceed with STWA Well 2 and instead to continue to look for sources elsewhere,’ the statement reads.
The statement did not indicate what specific factors led to Nestle deciding against sourcing from Spring Township Water Authority.
Nestle will, however, still continue to look for a site in northern Centre County.
‘Centre County remains a leading candidate in our search for a third Pennsylvania bottling factory location, with an initial investment of $50 million,’ the statement said. ‘We remain optimistic that we can find a source here in northern Centre County so that we can bring jobs and investment to the area in the near future.’
Nestle anticipated the facility would result in 50 direct jobs with an average salary of $58,000 plus benefits. A study commissioned by the company projected an annual total economic impact — both direct and indirect — of about $50 million in Centre County.
The project was embraced by some for its potential economic and tax benefit, including CBICC, Spring Township and Benner Township supervisors, the water authority, Bellefonte Area School District and Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology.
But others had concerns and objections, including questions about environmental impact, how much water would be extracted, Nestle’s history in other communities and how the project seemed to have moved forward for months without public input.
Sierra Club Moshannon Group and the Nittany Valley Environmental Coalition led a protest outside a forum with Nestle representatives in March and hosted their own meeting for residents. ClearWater Conservancy also expressed reservations about the facility moving forward without an understanding of what impact the extraction would have on the watershed.
Residents of the townships and elsewhere in Centre County also attended Spring Township and Benner Township supervisor and water authority board meetings to voice their concerns.
Nestle will continue to staff its office on Axemann Road.
‘[W]e hope that residents who know about other potential spring sites we should consider will reach out to us,’ the statement said.
