Elko New Market residents rally against proposed water bottling plant

A proposed water bottling plant in Scott County is being met with pushback from local residents who say they've been caught off guard by a private company's big plans to draw profits from local water resources. 

California-based Niagara Bottling wants to invest $135 million to build the 425,000-square-foot facility in the future Park I-35 Industrial Park being developed by Ryan Companies in Elko New Market. 

Local leaders have touted the 119-acre industrial park as a boon to economic development, but many Elko New Market residents have expressed bitterness that efforts to draw Niagara Bottling were long kept under wraps by elected officials. 

The Elko New Market City Council is set to vote on the proposal on Thursday. 

Local residents opposing the project have cited various environmental concerns and expressed upset over how new noise, light and traffic will impact the small farming town — they're asking city officials to halt or at least slow the plans until further study can be done to evaluate potential impacts. 

Many who oppose the project have noted that a similar proposal from Niagara Bottling fell through in Eau Claire, Wisconsin earlier this year amid local opposition. 

Niagara pulled the proposal before the Eau Claire City Council could vote, but WQOQ News 18 reports the plans could be resubmitted. 

Elko New Market proposal 

Patrick Drinan, senior economic development manager with Niagara Bottling, said the Elko New Market plant would draw from the city's water supply to produce half-liter purified bottled water for customers in the Minnesota and Wisconsin markets, with about 15% of the product being distributed in the Dakotas and Iowa. 

Drinan said the facility would initially create 59 full-time jobs, but that number could double with future expansions. 

During the Elko New Market Planning Commission's public hearing last month, local residents and residents of neighboring communities took to the microphone one-by-one to express concern, and sometimes anger, at the proposal. 

The Jordan Aquifer that supplies the city's drinking water is the most extensive and continuous aquifer in the Upper Midwest, according to Dave Hume, a city consultant with LRE Water.

Hume explained aquifer levels, which are replenished by rainfall, have remained fairly steady over the past 40 years, despite increased water usage and periods of drought. 

"The bottom line is we're not seeing a decreasing trend," he said during the Planning Commission meeting. "If there is a drought, it's kind of short-lived situation and then it bounces back up because of continued recharge."

Still, residents have expressed worry over moving ahead with a project that would impact the community for generations to come. 

New Prague resident Debra Pexa said she believes the plans are short-sighted and carry the potential for serious long-term impacts. 

"It is not worth the risk," she told the Planning Commission. "Instead, this is a time we should be protecting our ground water." 

In a statement on Facebook, Elko New Market Mayor Joe Julius said he supports the plans because he believes it'll help the city achieve goals of diversifying the tax base and easing water bills. 

Julius said the added daytime workforce would also help the city attract restaurants, grocers and other amenities sought by residents. 

"I don't ask for people to change their opinions or positions, I just ask you trust us to make sure we've done to due diligence necessary in order to make a quality, informed decision on how best to proceed," he wrote. 

In addition to the Niagara Bottling plans, the City Council is set to vote Thursday on state grant applications to subsidize the project. 

Residents are planning to rally at 6 p.m. Thursday outside of City Hall ahead of the meeting.