KINGFIELD (AP) – The parent company of Poland Spring plans to meet with the local water district in its continuing search for a site for a new bottling plant.

Nestle Waters North America will meet with the Kingfield Water District on Jan. 25 for permission to investigate the area to determine if it is appropriate for a new facility.

If the geology, water chemistry and other details fall into place, Nestle could build a bottling plant in the area that could provide 200 jobs, said Tom Brennan, Nestle Waters natural resource manager.

Brennan said the Kingfield site is one of many under investigation.

“We continue to study the geology and try to identify places that could offer us what we need for that anchor spring for a bottling facility,” Brennan said.

Poland Spring now has bottling plants in Hollis and Poland. Nestle has said it hopes to build another bottling plant in Oxford, Franklin or Somerset counties.

Preliminary geological information suggests that the Kingfield area could offer a bountiful supply, but Brennan said that if the water district does not want Nestle to investigate the area, it will not.

John Dill, chairman of the board of selectmen in Kingfield, said the first question in his mind is whether there is enough water for everybody.

“If there is, then this could be a great thing,” Dill said. “If they want to put 200 good-paying jobs in Kingfield we will take them.”

While the search continues for a site, Poland Spring has put its expansion plans in Maine on hold because of a proposal to tax water bottlers.

At issue is a citizen initiative by a group seeking to impose a 3 cent tax per 20-ounce bottle of water drawn from Maine aquifers. That amounts to about 20 cents per gallon of water.

The group has to collect more than 50,000 signatures.

by later this month to force the issue to a vote.