KINGFIELD – Ahead of any bulldozer arriving or bottled water leaving, more than 40 Kingfield residents attended a special information meeting Saturday about the possibility of Poland Springs establishing an aquifer and bottling plant in the community.
After a brief informational presentation by Mark Dubois and Tom Brennan, hydrogeologists and natural resources managers for Nestl Waters North America, townspeople had a chance to respond.
“This meeting was for everyone to find out who we are and what we do,” said Dubois.
Beside the benefits the town could reap from the rapidly renewable resource, residents were mainly concerned about the effect the aquifer would have on local wells, as well as the influx of truck traffic because of the location of the bottling station.
When questioned about the amount of land to be used for the project, Dubois answered, “We’re going to protect as much of it as we can.”
Some residents were also worried about the possibility of a drought and its effect on the local water supply, while others posed questions dealing with security and domestic terrorism.
Brennan responded to concerns by saying, “As we move forward, we will encourage the water department to develop a monitoring program that is satisfactory to them, so that people feel protected.”
According to Brennan, the company will be in charge of monitoring neighbors’ wells through a voluntary domestic monitoring program as well as installing a thorough monitoring network around the site.
A possible factory site was also identified on the south side of town, which should aid in reducing traffic. The plant could also bring up to 200 jobs to the region.
From a geological perspective, according to Dubois, the town has an abundance of sand and gravel above the bedrock, which is exactly what Poland Springs is looking for in aquifer sites.
According to Dubois, the project is currently in phase two of the evaluation process and before they can move on from site due diligence to site testing, much needs to happen.
Options on land for the aquifer, as well as for the plant, are up in the air at the moment.
“The water in Kingfield is very encouraging in terms of quality and quantity,” said Brennan.
For the past 18 months, Dubois and Brennan along with Natural Resource Supervisor of Springs Mark Laplante have been busy getting to know the Western Mountain region a little bit better.
Six test wells have already been dug and with current aquifers in Pierce Pond Township and the Dallas Plantation, all three are confident about their findings around Kingfield.
Plans for further cooperation with the school system as well as the local snowmobile and ATV club are in the works, as well.
Before closing, Brennan also thanked town officials for the thoughtful consideration they have displayed during the past few months and when asked how long Poland Springs could be in the region, he responded simply, “forever.”
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