Water district puts purchase deal on hold

KENNEBUNK – The water district that serves towns in the Kennebunk area has postponed its vote on a 30-year agreement to allow the Poland Spring bottled water company to tap into its aquifer.

The vote to postpone came Wednesday after dozens of activists gathered outside the office of the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport & Wells Water District in Kennebunk to protest the deal.

They carried signs lambasting Poland Spring’s Swiss parent, Nestle, and questioning whether the district’s water supply can handle a drawdown of up to 250,000 gallons a day.

Superintendent Norm Labbe has said that the purchase would create jobs and provide a stream of income to help area residents keep their water bills down. He said the postponement of a vote to July 30 will allow time for the district to produce fact sheets addressing concerns about the deal.