The Fryeburg Water Company wants to lease a well to Nestle's Poland Spring in a long term contract, but some locals say it isn't a fair deal.
Fryeburg residents stood in every nook and cranny at Thursday night's meeting. The town is known for it's H2O, some of which has been bottled and sold by Nestle's Poland Spring for 15 years.
on Thursday night, Maine's Public Utilities Commission took public comment about a new contract between Nestle and The Fryeburg Water Company. It would let Nestle extract at least 75-million gallons a year from one of the town's wells for 25-years.
"It's a long term contract that provides some stabilization on rates, so as there's up in our business, it doesn't cause ups and downs for The Fryeburg Water Company," said Mark Dubois with Poland Springs.
But a local opposition group called The Community Water Justice Team says Nestle is a negative presence and they feel they're losing control of a valuable, local resource.
"I'm really concerned about a company as large and powerful as Nestle having that much dominance in a small, rural area like this," said Doug Bowen with The Community Water Justice Team.
Most who spoke up at Thursday night's hearing spoke against the contract, but there were some residents who are willing to share the abundance of water and pointed out the positives Nestle has brought to the community.
What nearly everyone does agree on is the length of the contract, saying 25 years is a long time to be locked in an agreement.
From here, it's up to the Maine Public Utilities Commission. There will be a formal hearing in May and a decision could come by July or August.
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