Page 17 - Flathead Beacon // 3.23.16

“The rinse water is just water, there would be no contamination from the bottles,” Weaver said, adding that the bottles would be made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and be Bisphenol A (BPA) free.
The other outfall would contain non-contact heating water, or geothermal water, and would average a discharge of 33,358 gallons per day.
Brad Bennett, another hydrologist at Applied Water Consulting, said the dis- charge water is the same groundwater pumped out of the aquifer, and that it is cooled before being fed back into the tributary.
“There was concern about the dis- charge water having an e ect on tempera- ture-sensitive species, but we would be returning water that is about 47 degrees to groundwater that is between 47 and 50 degrees,” Bennett said.
Other neighbors have raised concerns about dust abatement, as distribution of the bottled water would cause a signi - cant uptick in tra c.
According to the DNRC’s prelimi- nary determination to grant the permit, the company intends to use machines that are capable of rinsing and lling 20-ounce water bottles at a rate of 7,000 bottles per hour.
“Ultimately, Montana Artesian Water Company intends to use up to 20 of these machines to produce 140,000 water bot- tles per hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a
Lew Weaver talks about the Montana Artesian Water Co., a proposed water bottling facility. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
addition to raising cattle also grows hay, wheat, barley, peas, and lentils.
But crop prices are volatile, and he began mulling plans for bottled water a decade ago, and has since researched the water bottling industry, including other bottling plants in Montana.
Knowing the superior quality of the water from the Flathead Valley’s deep aquifer, he incorporated Montana Arte- sian Water Co. as a business in 2014.
Ric Hauer, a University of Montana research scientist at the Flathead Lake Biological Station, said residents should be engaged in the proposed project, and be thinking carefully about unintended consequences, rather than a lack of trans- parency on Weaver’s part.
“On the one side we have the concern about ground water depletions, but not all of the water is going to be bottled and shipped as drinking water,” Hauer said. “What I would recommend to people in that area is that they need more time to look into the potential for this project to have unintended consequences, instead of getting hung up on this guy’s lack of transparency. It’s out on the table now.”
In addition to the DNRC and DEQ per- mits, Montana Artesian Water Co. would need to be licensed by the Department of Public Health and Human Resources as a food-grade facility, which would be the nal regulatory hurdle for Weaver’s company.
tscott@ atheadbeacon.com
year,” the application states.
“By my estimates that would mean
70 to 80 trucks a day on that road,” said Charlie Hanson, who lives near the pro- posed facility. “I’m worried about what that could do to air quality.”
Weaver wouldn’t guess at how much truck tra c would increase on the road, but said he’s agreed to a cost-share dust abatement plan with Flathead County.
The planned tra c route for trucks leaving the facility extends north from the building, through Weaver’s property
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to Egan Slough Road, then about 1.5 miles to the junction with Montana 35.
Moreover, he said, the business would be a boon to the state and local economies. “There will be a positive economic impact to Montana and the Flathead Val- ley. We will be employing Montanans. We will utilize Montana people and employ Montana trucking companies, and a Montana-made product will be promoted
across the state,” he said.
Weaver bought his 350-acre ranch in
1989 from the Pederson family, and in
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