Use of groundwater should be regulated, say several groups in the western province of British Columbia concerned about extraction by large corporations.
Nestlé bottles and sells up to 265 million litres of water from the area around Hope, B.C. every year, says Sheila Muxlow of the Water Wealth Project. It is one of several multinationals bottling B.C.’s fresh water.
B.C. currently has no regulation on groundwater use. Corporations can extract as much ground water as they like without any fees.
Muxlow says no studies have measured the environmental impact of draining water equivalent to that of “a small lake” on an annual basis.
Nestlé says the water replenishes itself, that it is acting responsibly and contributing to the B.C. economy.
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