Stop Nestlé - Save the Wacissa River!

Stop Nestlé - Save the Wacissa River!

The community of Wacissa recently learned that the Nestlé Corporation is attempting to pave the way to remove water from the Wacissa River to bottle and sell. An estimated 450,000 gallons of water per day would be pumped from the river near Malloy Landing, an area along the Little River below Allen Spring, and then trucked away to a Nestlé bottling facility. Nestlé reaps huge profits from the water they extract from rural communities, which are then left to deal with the damaged watersheds, increases in pollution, and loss of lifestyle.

There are many potential environmental impacts of the facility: Extracting large volumes of water from the river could decrease its flow and water levels. This could effect the large biodiversity in the area, harming many species of birds, turtles, and fish. The facility would also increase traffic, with over 100 hundred trucks a day entering and leaving the area, adding a significant amount of pollution and noise, while compromising the safety of local roads.

The environmental consequences of bottled water on our atmosphere, watersheds, and landfills are simply too big to ignore. For this reason, Save Our Shores! Florida is joining the fight to stop the Nestlé Corporation from radically altering the ecosystem along the Wacissa River.

About the Wacissa River:

The Wacissa River is a large, spring-fed river located in south-central Jefferson County, Florida. Its headwaters are located about a mile south of the town of Wacissa, where the river emerges crystal clear from a group of large limestone springs. From its headsprings, the river flows approximately 12 miles south through a broad cypress swamp before breaking into numerous braided channels, joining the Aucilla River, and emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Wacissa is well-known for its large concentration of aquatic birds, including egrets, herons, ibis, osprey, wood storks, limpkins, anhingas, kingfishers, barred owls and bald eagles. Aquatic animals are also abundant, including alligators, river otters, turtles, water snakes, and crayfish. The main species of fish are bass, mullet, catfish, red-breasted sunfish, stumpknocker and gar, although the warmouth perch, speckled perch, flier bream, and shellcracker may also found in the Wacissa.

How You Can Help:

• Write a letter today to:

Honorable Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners
445 W. Walnut Street  Monticello, FL 32344

We ask that you politely express your personal opposition to Nestle’s bid to extract water from the Wacissa River. Explain why. Keep it short and clear. Include your complete address.  Speak about your concern for the river and its ecosystem. Do not use threatening tones or language. Be genuine.

• Become a Member and support our work.

• Tell everyone: get involved and stop buying bottled water!

Photo Credits:
First Photo: Unknown
Second Photo: JanusGD
Third Photo: Bjorn Nilsson