PARIS — More than a 1,000 cases of water have been donated to the Oxford County Emergency Management Agency to distribute to municipalities throughout the county.

“About two-thirds were picked up,” EMA Director Scott Parker said Friday afternoon after the distribution at the Paris Fire Station that morning. Dozens of town officials who met at the Paris Fire Station on Friday morning to discuss the proposed casino in Oxford County were able to get their cases before they left.

A total of 80 municipal organizations are benefiting from the distribution, Parker said.

The Oxford Hills School District loaned its forklift and jack to help with the loading and unloading. The 22 pallets, which held 1,050 cases of water, were donated through the Maine Volunteers Active in Disaster program. It’s a forum where Maine organizations share knowledge and resources throughout the disaster cycle from preparation to recovery to help disaster survivors and their communities.

Parker said he decided how many cases each town would get depending on its size. Some in the county have police and fire departments, others none. A large town that has a police and fire department may get 48 cases of 24 bottles each. The water might be used at a fire scene for firefighters, for example.

Parker said the water came from Poland Spring Water Co. It was donated because of problems the company had with the labels.

Parker said he has never had a distribution like this since coming to the position in 1999.

“This is a little different,” he said. “This is to be used by municipalities and public safety organizations as they respond to disasters.”

Any leftover water that is not picked up will be given to nonprofit organizations in the community or the Red Cross.

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