As the former state geologist and long-time director of the Maine Geological Survey, I have made it my life’s work to study and educate the public about Maine’s geology and water cycle. We all understand on a general basis that Maine has abundant water resources. Less clear to many, as evidenced by the May 8 editorial “Cloudy Water Tax Issue,” is how Maine’s water resources are regulated.
Water withdrawals are closely monitored and regulated at the state level and through land use ordinances in many local jurisdictions. Because of this close monitoring and scrutiny, water users cannot negatively impact the ecosystem or their neighbor’s water supply. Suggesting that these types of protections are needed overlooks the fact that they are firmly in place.
When I started my career at the Maine Geological Survey in 1968, the vast majority of Maine’s landmark environmental protection laws had yet to be written. Now 40 years later, Maine has one of the strongest regulatory frameworks in the nation governing the use, measurement and reporting of water withdrawals. As recently as last year, multiple agencies joined a diverse group of stakeholders to review these regulations and to propose measures that have further strengthened and clarified groundwater laws.
Despite this good work, a spate of bills before the Legislature seems designed to fix a problem that does not exist. Some of these bills seek to curtail the operations of Poland Spring, a company that pumps more than $100 million into Maine’s economy each year in the form of payroll and spending with other Maine companies. At a recent legislative hearing that I attended, at least 150 people who in some way earn their living from Poland Spring made their case. We heard about what an exemplary employer this company is and how generous they are in the towns where they have operations. We heard from vendors whose entire business has been built around this company. A 25-year veteran of Poland Spring rose impulsively to speak about how proud he was to work for the company.
While some are trying to confuse the issue with talk of climate change and water scarcity, the fact is that Poland Spring has been a solid example of how protecting the environment can create good jobs. In Maine, responsibly managed natural resources have long been the foundation of our economy. When it comes to ground-water, responsible management means keeping track of what you use and using only an amount that is easily replenished by nature.
Fresh water is abundant in Maine and, based on more than 100 years of record, is constantly renewed by the hydrological cycle of evaporation and precipitation. During a typical July, approximately 3.7 billion gallons of water evaporates from Sebago Lake. That’s more than five times the amount of water Poland Spring uses in one year.
The blessings of our geography and geology assure us of an abundant future water supply. Indeed, in recent years our rainfall has far exceeded the 42-inch average that we expect. There is much more water coming into the hydrologic system than is being taken out by all users. Maine’s water bottlers account for less than 0.5 percent of all the water used in the state each year.
But an abundant and renewable resource is still precious and must be protected. Water law expert emeritus professor Orlando Delogu of the University of Southern Maine School of Law, in a three part article to be published by the Maine Lawyers Review, reminds us that Poland Spring operates in a highly regulated setting where state and local officials ensure full and ongoing compliance with permits and planning approvals.
Poland Spring is asking to continue investing in Maine. We should encourage this investment, knowing that the public, through laws and ordinances, has full control of the resource.
Walter Anderson is a former state geologist. He also is past president of the Geological Society of Maine and serves on the Planning Board of the Northeast section of the Geological Society of America.