2016
The Niagara announcement spurred a number of residents to form  BloomfieldCitizens.org. The fight against Niagara Bottling led to the formation of a specific campaign, SaveOurWaterCT.org. That campaign works to educate the public on water issues, to limit the expansion of the water bottling industry and ensure it is subject to appropriate environmental regulations.

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History

The Niagara Bottling plant poses a threat to the local environment, our quality of life, and the security of our publicly-held water resources.
Re: drought:  if the drought gets severe enough, the Department of Public Health could limit Niagara or other industry's water use. However, that would be when reservoir levels are at 10% (according to the MDC). Residents will asked to voluntarily conserve ever more diligently. 

Meanwhile Niagara can still access and ship out its 1.8 million gallons. In addition, they will be producing 10 million single-use plastic bottles, of which 30%, at most, will ever be recycled! Not to mention the 200 daily truck trips on our town roads, contributing to their deterioration, adding to the traffic, noise and air pollution. Our public water resource is being privatized and sold to a private company for them to profit.

FACT SHEET about Bloomfield and Niagara- MAY 16, 2016
Governor Malloy: After State's First-Ever Drought Watch Issued, Residents Asked to Voluntarily Reduce Water Use When Possible- OCTOBER 28, 2016
MDC votes to discontinue water discounts to Niagara.- DECEMBER 5, 2016

What can we do?

While SaveourwaterCT.org  has not halted construction of the Niagara Bottling plant in Bloomfield, they continue to work to thwart its' expansion to four bottling lines and/or close it down. They are working to educate the public on water issues, and be involved on the state water plan. Go to their site to learn more on how you can help.

SaveOurWaterCT.org

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Bottled Water

Bottled water affects people, wildlife and the environment due to the depletion of water sources, pollution from the plastic bottles and the fossil fuels needed to transport the water from its source and to the consumers.

Estimates vary, but it has been calculated that the cost of a single serve 16.9 ounces  container of bottled water is typically more than 2000 times as expensive as tap water.

Legislation

Senate Bill 422 in 2016 sought to prioritize residential consumer water sales during public drinking water supply emergencies, to prohibit sellers of bottled water from charging commercial users less than residential consumers and to ensure sellers who export bottled water out of the state do not pay lower sewer rates than residential consumers. The bill was passed by CT State Senate but defeated in the House.

MDC

Metropolitan Water District serves 8 communities. In order to lure Niagara, the company was given a "water capacity agreement" for 1.8 million gallons/day as well as a volume discount on its water rates and clean water project charges.  Once it uses over 500,000 gallons/day, its water rates drop by 19% and its clean water project charges drop significantly more. This incentivizes excess water use, not conservation.  Meanwhile, residents have seen their rates increase. There is no "contract" guaranteeing the rate discounts and SaveOurWaterCT hopes to eliminate them.

FYI: The original Member Towns that formed the MDC in 1929 were Bloomfield, Hartford, Newington, Wethersfield and Windsor. Three other towns joined the District later on : 1941-East Hartford, 1943-Rocky Hill and in 1984-West Hartford.

Bloomfield Deputy Mayor David Mann and Councilman Kevin Gough and local citizen Dr. Val Rossetti speak out on Climate Crisis on this preview clip. Watch the entire Climate Crisis video February 3rd, 2020 at noon on Facebook.  Climate Crisis