Bobbi's Updates
My name is Bobbi McClead and I am Nestlé Waters’ Natural Resources Manager in Colorado. My educational background is in botany, hydrogeology, and environmental policy. I have an undergraduate degree from Miami University, and participated in graduate programs at George Washington University and at Ohio State University. My first professional employment was with the Colorado Public Interest Research Group providing environmental education on Colorado public trust land protection. Prior to working for Nestle Waters, I was employed for 9 years as a hydrogeologist and environmental scientist with environmental consulting companies, and worked on a variety of environmental and water supply projects throughout the US and eastern Canada. Since March 2006, I’ve been working full-time in support of Nestle Waters projects in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, and in eastern Canada. I became a Nestle Waters Senior Natural Resource Specialist in the summer of 2008 and a Natural Resource Manager in the fall of 2009.
In Chaffee County, I oversee operations at the Truck Loading Station, manage spring water withdrawals, conduct long-term monitoring of the springs and groundwater levels, manage Nestle Waters properties according to approved Land Management Plans including wetland protection, and oversee the Ruby Mountain Springs Habitat Reclamation Project. In addition to my operations management duties, I also take the lead on NWNA’s community outreach efforts and the building of partnerships with organizations in Chaffee County.
I have been based in Buena Vista for the past two years, and have an office at our Truck Loading Station in Johnson Village. It has been a great pleasure to get to know many local people and to be able to share Chaffee County’s incredible mountain setting as a fellow resident. I look forward to getting to know more of you in the community. On this page I will be providing project updates and responding to questions and/or comments that I receive via Dear Bobbi emails.
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August 1, 2010
As we look forward to beginning our operations in Chaffee County, we would like to present information about Nestlé Waters North America’s work in Chaffee County, Colorado that differs from Mr. Kersgaard’s July 27, 2010 article.
By issuing a notice-to-proceed, Chaffee County has confirmed that Nestlé Waters has met all applicable construction conditions and is in compliance with all other permit conditions.
Nestlé Waters has been in Chaffee County for several years. Our exploration of the Ruby Mountain Springs began in 2007, and we applied for a Special Land Use Permit and 1041 Permit in November of 2009. There were no “years of negotiations with the Chaffee County Board of County Commissioners” as indicated in the article. On the contrary, our proposed project underwent a comprehensive and systematic nine-month permitting process as specified by Chaffee County Code to evaluate and mitigate potential impacts of the project. The County review, which was open to the public, included independent verification of traffic patterns and impacts, extensive independent environmental studies, and economic impact assessments. After a thorough public review, the Chaffee County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved Nestlé Waters’ permits.
Further, as Mr. Kersgaard correctly points out at the end of his article, the Commissioners and Nestlé Waters agreed on 44 permit conditions that ensure that our spring water harvest does not have a negative environmental impact and our presence in Chaffee County adds to the local economy. Many of these conditions, such as requiring monitoring of spring flows, groundwater levels, and wetlands during pumping and other construction and operational conditions are typical with these types of permits.
To support the local economy, we hired Chaffee County construction firms to build the majority of our infrastructure and we are currently hiring qualified local truck drivers to meet Chaffee County’s transportation requirements.
Our commitment to Chaffee County goes well beyond compliance with our permits. In keeping with Nestlé Waters’ core belief in responsible corporate citizenship, community support and development efforts began well before permitting, including financial and bottled water donations to local emergency relief services, local charities, schools, and events.
In contrast to Mr. Kersgaard’s implication, we proactively and voluntarily committed to additional permit conditions, such as establishing two $250,000 science education endowments to support the efforts of two local school-oriented non-profit organizations. Additionally, we are looking forward to partnering with Colorado Mountain College, Colorado Division of Wildlife and other local specialists on our reclamation of the old Ruby Mountain Springs fish hatchery in order to restore important wetlands and riparian habitat.
Though not required by our permit conditions, Nestlé Waters has established, and will continue to develop, partnerships with local organizations to assist local recycling initiatives, and support conservation, education, sustainability, and other worthy community causes. As we are in many other communities across the country, Nestlé Waters North America will be an engaged corporate citizen in Chaffee County.
To view responses to Mr. Kersgaard’s previous articles concerning water resources and sustainability, and to learn more about why we are operating in Colorado and our community involvement, please continue to explore this website.
We welcome hearing from interested community members, and we are happy to provide information through speaking opportunities, personal site tours, and more. My office is located in Chaffee County and I can be reached directly through our Nestlé Waters North America Chaffee County Web site under “Dear Bobbi”. Our policy is one of open communication and engagement in the community and we look forward to a long and successful partnership here in Chaffee County.
Sincerely,
Bobbi McClead
Natural Resource Manager, Colorado
Nestlé Waters North America
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July 5, 2010
As Nestlé Waters’ Natural Resources Manager for Colorado, I would like to respond to Mr. Kersgaard’s article of June 25th, 2010. I strongly disagree with conclusions reached about the leasing of water by our company for our project in Chaffee County. Here is some additional information offering another perspective:
Nestlé Waters is a beverage company, similar to other soda, tea, beer, or wine producers that might be located in any city of commerce. Notably, the bottling of water uses far less water than production of other beverage options. When considering the use of water and energy resources to produce bottled beverages, bottled water is by far the most sustainable. If bottled water is not available to people on-the-go, or to those that do not have reliable high-quality tap water, studies indicate they are likely to consume another bottled beverage which has a higher water and carbon footprint – and typically are more calorie-intensive.
The water bottled by Nestlé Waters is used as hydration for people in Colorado, and to a lesser extent, in surrounding states. The bottling of water does not increase water use in these areas, it is just a shift in the form in which it is consumed, and therefore does not have a negative effect on sustainability of water resources in the area. As suggested above, because bottled water uses substantially less water to produce than other bottled beverage options, providing this choice to consumers can have a positive effect on water resource sustainability of a region.
Even on the local level, Nestlé Waters ensures water resource sustainability by only choosing locations for spring water withdrawals where spring flows are sufficiently abundant so their withdrawals do not have any negative effect on the habitat and groundwater availability at these locations. At the Ruby Mountain site, Nestlé Waters permitted rate of withdrawal is less than 10% of the average flow of the springs.
Mr. Kersgaard quotes Mr. Scanga with the UAWCD implying that Aurora’s water rights do not allow for the lease of water to Nestlé Waters, and the lease will jeopardize flows in the Arkansas River. Mr. Scanga’s concerns were voiced and addressed during the State and County permitting processes. The Chaffee County Board of County Commissioners specifically addressed Mr. Scanga’s concerns regarding withdrawals under long-term drought conditions by establishing permit conditions that limit Nestlé Waters’ water withdrawals during low-flow periods. These permit conditions also require monthly reporting to the County and State Engineer’s Office (SEO) concerning Nestlé Waters’ water withdrawals and the status of its augmentation lease. Nestlé Waters has filed every report required by the County and will continue to do so.
Furthermore, the UAWCD submitted Mr. Scanga’s concerns about the legality of Nestle’s augmentation water lease to the SEO, the agency that oversees water rights in Colorado, when Nestlé Waters’ applied for its Substitute Water Supply Plan (SWSP). Nestlé Waters previously reviewed the relevant water court decrees and determined there were no provisions limiting the place of use of the augmentation water. The SEO, after reviewing both the UAWCD comments and the Nestlé Waters’ response, granted the SWSP.
Spring water from the prolific Ruby Mountain Springs will be bottled as Arrowhead Brand Mountain Spring Water at Nestle Waters’ Denver bottling plant. With Nestlé Waters’ sustainable harvest of the Ruby Mountain Springs in Colorado, Nestlé Waters will substantially reduce overall truck miles and emissions, as currently all Arrowhead Brand water consumed in the Rocky Mountain Region is trucked from California.
Nestlé Waters is committed to creating a high-quality, healthful beverage and minimizing environmental impact. This includes a determined effort to decrease its carbon footprint by reducing its bottle weight and packaging, increase internal recycling, regionalizing its bottling plants, constructing LEED certified buildings, investing in hybrid transportation technology, and sponsoring recycling initiatives nationally.
Furthermore, Nestlé Waters sustainably manages all of its more than 50 spring sites, limiting its harvest as needed to avoid negative impacts to the springs, aquifers, aquatic habitat, or other water users. More information about our environmental work and corporate citizenship can be found at http://www.Nestle-watersna.com/pdf/Nestlé_Corporate_Citizenship_Report_Final.pdf.
For more information on Nestlé Waters’ Colorado operations visit www.nestlewatersco.com, and for information on Nestlé Waters’ North America visit www.nestle-watersna.com.
Sincerely,
Bobbi McClead
Colorado Natural Resource Manager
Nestlé Waters North America
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June 8, 2010
As Nestlé Waters’ Natural Resources Manager in Colorado, I would like to respond to Scot Kersgaard’s article about our Ruby Mountain Springs project in Chaffee County, Colorado. It was unfortunate that Mr. Kersgaard did not contact me prior to writing his article as there were inaccuracies printed and information left out of this story. I would like to provide correct and more thorough information about our Chaffee County project.
At Nestlé Waters North America, our culture and commitment as a company is to operate with great care for the environment and the communities in which we live and work. To provide a little background information, prior to development of the Ruby Mountain Springs project, Nestlé Waters transported all of its Arrowhead Brand Mountain Spring Water sold in the U.S. Rocky Mountain region from southern California. Recognizing the demand for bottled water in the region with active health-minded people, Nestlé Waters sought local springs to bottle Arrowhead at its Denver bottling plant. With Nestlé Waters being permitted to develop the Ruby Mountain Springs, the company will reduce truck miles, fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and costs. Three years ago when we began exploring for a regional source from which to sustainably harvest high-quality spring water, we began a proactive public stakeholder process providing information to and soliciting input from Chaffee County citizens, community organizations, and government officials.
In order to produce bottled water in Chaffee County, we were required to go through two rigorous, binding, and comprehensive permitting processes – the 1041 Permit and Special Land Use Permit – which encompassed nearly a year of agency review, public hearings, and deliberations. At the time of County permit approval, Nestlé Waters committed to meet all of the permitting requirements – and even volunteered some additional conditions that satisfied our internal commitment to conservation of land and water resources – which resulted in unanimous approval by the County Commissioners.
Since that time and through construction of the project, Nestlé Waters has met all of the conditions required of us and we continue in compliance with all permit conditions. Contrary to the assertions made in the editorial, Nestlé Waters will manage its Ruby Mountain Springs development in compliance with all permits for as long as we operate in Chaffee County, as we do with all of more than 50 spring sites across the nation and Canada. That commitment on our part does not negate our monthly reporting requirements to Chaffee County and the State of Colorado, nor their regulatory power to cease our operations if we were ever to be out of compliance with our permits.
The Ruby Mountain Springs are prolific, flowing year-round at an average of more than 1,400 gallons per minute (735 million gallons annually). Our permits and augmentation allowance limit our harvest of spring water to an average withdrawal rate of 124 gallons per minute - amounting to less than 10% of spring flows. Our average spring water withdrawal represents less than 0.04% of the average flow of the Arkansas River at the spring site. Nestlé Waters, like all other commercial users of water in Colorado, must augment our water harvest with replacement water to the river basin (Arkansas) from which it is taken in order to protect downstream water rights. We are leasing augmentation water from the City of Aurora, water which is already designated for Aurora’s municipal use and stored annually in Twin Lakes upstream from the Ruby Mountain Springs. Thus, our harvest of water from the Ruby Mountain Springs results in no net loss to flows in the Arkansas River.
Through extensive study, nearly three years of monitoring prior to operations, and pump tests, Nestlé Waters’ scientists have concluded, and Chaffee County’s independent scientific consultants concurred, that our harvest of the Ruby Mountain Springs is sustainable and will not negatively effect the springs and their surrounding habitat, other water users, or flows within the Arkansas River. As a natural resource company, we take pride in our track record and ability to sustainably manage all of our spring operations. In Chaffee County, we also have a unique opportunity to reclaim an old fish hatchery to more functional natural wetlands and riparian habitat, and when complete, we will place more that 115 acres of land along the Arkansas River into permanent conservation easement.
As part of Nestlé Waters commitment to its spring communities to serve as a good business member of the community, prior to and during permitting, Nestlé Waters met with local citizens, provided tours of the spring sites to more than 250 people, financially supported local organizations, provided bottled water donations, and searched for other community support opportunities. That effort continues today and will continue for the life of our operations in Chaffee County. To ensure that our operations run smoothly and in accordance with our permits, Nestlé Waters decided to base its Colorado Natural Resources Manager in the community. Additionally, my presence in the community allows the company to more directly support numerous local community organizations, schools, and businesses through local participation and charitable contributions.
Bottled water is a safe, healthy alternative to the abundance of carbonated, sugary, caffeinated drinks on the market today and it is vital in times of crisis. Chaffee County will now be part of our heritage of providing high quality, healthy beverages in an environmentally progressive and responsible manner. We look forward to a collaborative and positive relationship now and in the future in this community. For more information about our Ruby Mountain Springs project visit www.Nestléwatersco.com/chaffeecty and to learn more about Nestlé Waters North America visit www.Nestlé-watersna.com.
Sincerely,
Bobbi McClead
Natural Resource Manager, Colorado
Nestlé Waters North America
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Nestlé Waters North America and Support Our School Salida Establish $250,000 Education Endowment
Salida, Colorado - March 17, 2010
The Support Our Schools Salida (SOSS) Board of Directors accepted a $250,000 check today from Nestlé Waters North America (Nestlé Waters). The funds will be used by SOSS to establish an endowment called the “The Salida Schools Science Education Fund” to support science, conservation, and water resource education in the R-32 Salida School District.
“The Nestlé endowment is a significant and exciting benefit to our community students and teachers”, said Monte Holmes, SOSS co-founder and Board President. SOSS has been supporting Salida schools through private and corporate donations and grants since 1999. SOSS’s mission is to promote student achievement and skill development, to develop staff excellence and to expand community involvement. Past SOSS projects include funding of student scholarships, supporting continuing educational opportunities for teachers, purchase of equipment, and supporting construction of school facilities including the Early Childhood Learning Center in Salida.
SOSS will place the $250,000 with The Denver Foundation, who will act solely as a fund manager. The Denver Foundation is the oldest and largest community foundation in Colorado, and the growth of its managed funds typically averages ten percent annually. The Denver Foundation charges a one percent annual fee to manage the endowment and will return five percent of the endowment principle annually to SOSS. Any excess interest earned will grow the principle of the endowment. The SOSS Board will use those distributions to support qualified scholarships, purchases, and activities through its normal grant application process. The proceeds will also fund an annual $1,000 SOSS-Nestlé Waters Science Scholarship to be given to an outstanding student. The first distribution from the endowment to SOSS in 2010 is expected to be more than $12,000.
Bobbi McClead, Natural Resource Manager for Nestlé Waters, stated, “We take great satisfaction in being able to support education in Chaffee County. This endowment is part of what Nestlé Waters refers to as our Good Neighbor Policy which is about creating tangible benefits to the communities in which we operate. Here in Chaffee County, where we will not have as large an economic presence compared to a city with a bottling plant (Denver), we look for other ways to be of support to the community. We are a natural resource-based company and we believe that water resource, conservation, and science education enables our communities to responsibly manage water resources.” Ms. McClead is NWNA’s local operations manager and resides in Buna Vista.
Ken Brandon, SOSS co-founder, said “The Nestlé endowment provides SOSS with the long-term ability to support science needs in our schools, and at the same time allows SOSS to better support a greater variety of school needs. We look forward to the endowment growing over the years from compounding interest as well as from additional private and corporate contributions.”
Individuals or companies interested in contributing to the endowment or other needs within the Salida schools, or those looking for more information about SOSS are encouraged to visit the SOSS website.
Nestlé Waters is developing the Ruby Mountain Springs in Chaffee County to bottle its Arrowhead Brand Mountain Spring Water in its Denver Plant. For more information on Nestlé Waters in Chaffee County visit www.nestlewatersco.com/chaffeecty
