Palmyra land considered for water plant

PALMYRA – More than 92 acres between Route 100 and the western banks of the East Branch of the Sebasticook River are being tested for water quality and quantity with the goal of constructing a major water bottling plant that could employ 200 to 300 people.

“We have bored holes and installed monitor wells,” Robert Tardy confirmed Wednesday afternoon. He said that initial testing is quite positive, and he is certain there is enough sustainable volume to support a large bottling plant.

Tardy is the spokesman for Pine Grove Springs LLC and partners Elton Nason, Henry Shaw and Kenneth Cianchette. The men recently purchased 12 acres and a former fish hatchery, 40 acres that were formerly the Bernard Charrier property and another 40 acres of the Ouellette farm and have identified several springs on the land, all being fed from a series of underground rivers.

“We are currently conducting a hydrological survey that will not be completed until mid-November,” Tardy said.

Tardy said the group hopes to interest a major water company, such as Nestle Waters, the parent company of Poland Spring, in building a bottling facility on the site.

Near Interstate 95 yet far from residential developments, the site lends itself well to such a facility.

“It’s not just Nestle,” Tardy said. “There are several water companies out there that are actively looking for water.” He said that no discussions have been held with any water company and won’t be held until all engineering studies are completed.

Tardy said water sources are governed by state laws that regulate just how much water can be removed. “That amount is based on the study of the aquifer,” he said.

Although the town of Palmyra currently does not have a local water extraction ordinance, the planning board and selectmen are considering adopting one.

Tardy said that most local ordinances parallel state regulations, and “that is a good thing, as long as they are based on sound science.”

Nestle Waters has a number of sources scattered throughout Maine, and the company is operating two bottling plants in Maine, one in Poland and one in Hollis, and has discussed a third plant in Kingfield.

Some of the issues that Kingfield officials have identified as concerns include noise, truck traffic, water withdrawal limits, light pollution, and its effect on the rural character of the community. A hydrological study on the Kingfield project will not be completed until November, according to town officials, at which time a formal application for a pumping station is expected.