Supporters and rivals continue to battle over the proposed water bottling plant in Cascade Locks as the election approaches.
A Hood River County ballot measure seeks to block the Nestlé plant by banning any water bottling operation that produces 1,000 gallons or more a day. Nestlé expects to package 11 times that amount from Oxbow Springs in an average hour.
“We don’t want to set the precedent of being a water-exporting county,” said Aurora del Val, campaign director for the Local Water Alliance, which is backing the charter amendment.
Nestlé’s supporters, meanwhile, have responded by launching their own political campaign. They registered March 9 with the Oregon Secretary of State as the the pro-Nestle group, Coalition for a Strong Gorge Economy.
(READ MORE: Oregon Live)
Nestle continued bottling water in the San Bernardino National Forest during the drought in California, while using permits that expired nearly three decades ago, according to KGW.
