Save Our Springs

Bottler says it would not harm spring
The chief concern, which is loudly echoed by environmentalists, is that a bottling operation would intercept water from the warm springs that are vital for manatees during the winter.

Reclaimed mine is not as safe as once thought
The Tenoroc Fish Management Area in Polk County may be a horror story ... the land tainted by high levels of radioactive compounds and toxic metals such as arsenic and lead, according to a federal study.

Deal To Fix Pollution System Keeps Phosphate Plant Open...for now
One of Hillsborough County's oldest phosphate processing plants is facing a possible shutdown over air pollution violations.

Phosphate plants under close eye
It's not like you can padlock the doors and walk away. Ponds full of 1.5 billion gallons of acid and three mountains of radioactive waste mean you just can't shut off the machinery and turn out the lights.

Alafia River State Park is a Toxic Superfund Site
After examining environmental samples, the Environmental Protection Agency web site indicates that the Superfund level classification is necessary for the region surrounding Brewster Phosphates / Lonesome Mine.

Concern Flows over Shipping Water out of County
Zephyrhills/Perrier IS buying up property along State Highway 6, west of Blue Springs. "We plan to put a water collection point on this land". The Perrier Company also has options to buy approximately 20 acres "further up the road," on Highway 6, where they plan to build a truck loading station.

Probably the biggest threat to Florida Springs is the water miner, Perrier/Nestle
One of the best dive training areas was Crystal Springs in Zephyrhills, Florida. Great for O/W pool sessions this 12' deep spring had fish and other fresh water creatures to play with while working on diving skills. That all ended when Perrier/Nestle bought the springs to pump out their product Zephyrhills Water

Crystal Springs Has Murky Past
Included in the advertising was the promise that landowners would have perpetual access to the springs with their purchase.

Water Deal Puts Larger Tap On Crystal Springs
Tanker trucks carrying thousands of gallons of well water are rumbling from Dade City to Crystal Springs and dumping it into the headwaters of the Hillsborough River.

Perrier Thirsts For A New Spring
In a city of 8,000, the biggest employer in town can often have its way with one threat: Give us what we need, or we leave.

"Smell of dead fish punctuates water pumping debate"
Wolfe and others pleaded with water managers to stop permitting increased withdrawals from Florida's water resources at a time when longtime residents are being asked to conserve.

Springs Owner Is Denied Entry To Activist Group
If you can't beat them, join them. That's what millionaire Robert Thomas attempted Saturday outside a Walgreen's in Zephyrhills when he paid $5 to join the non-profit group Save Our Springs Inc. But it didn't work out the way he hoped.

Spring Owner, Protesters Face Off
Protesters chose the anniversary of D-Day to launch their latest assault against fortress Perrier.

Mayor Gives Boost To Springs Owner
Mayor Dick Greco wants to find a way to let a longtime Tampa family sell substantially more water to the bottled water company Perrier, a prospect his own staff has said might cost the city as much as $7-million.

Not As Green As It Sounds
The Greenways Task Force is venturing far into the policy field, almost by default. Commissioners have become complacent, even defensive, about the group's potential for conflict. This year, the group will play a prominent role in two key decisions facing local government: whether to purchase development rights to property along the Hillsborough-Pasco county line, and whether to allow a private company to pump more water from Crystal Springs, which feeds the city of Tampa's drinking water supply.

Invitation Open, But Gate Shut
The main gates to the preserve on Crystal Springs Road remained locked Wednesday. A sign read, "Do not enter on this land... Violators will be prosecuted."

When Perrier Came, The Water Left
Perrier began pumping and trucking about 80,000 gallons a day. Four days after the pumping began, something happened Sipriano flushed his toilet and his water whooshed away for good.

Spring Owner Withholds Study
Rancher Robert Thomas, who is seeking approval to sell millions of gallons of water a day to Perrier, said "We are in the ranching business ... We are not set up to disseminate information."

Swiftmud Asks For Perrier Plan Data
Perrier's request to siphon millions more gallons of water from Crystal Springs has hit another clog.

Swiftmud: Perrier Too Thirsty
A bottled water giant seeking to increase pumping here is opposed by the regional water district staff.

Water Rush Is On - Bottlers Grabbing Up Land

CITIZEN ALERT!

View the Famous Crystal Springs
Nuke Photos

We are working hard for you every day to "Save Our Springs"

Please show us your support. Donate as generously as you are able! Every dollar makes a difference.

Mail your donation to:
Save Our Springs, Inc.
Box 174
Crystal Springs Fl. 33524

Help Us — Stop Nestlé From Pumping Madison Blue Springs!

The Suwannee River Water Management District will recommend the Board drop proceedings to revoke the Permit Nestle acquired from Tampa developer Blanchard to bottle water from Madison Blue Springs. Since Dec 10 this permit has been in revocation for non-use and was to be considered again at the April meeting. Now the approval is set for Feb. 11 if the Board agrees. We need people at the meeting at District headquarters east of Live Oak off U.S. 90 at 9 a.m. to ask the Board to stay with the April date. Only commercial interests want this permit to supply a bottling plant beside Madison Blue Springs State Park. We have petitions to the Madison County Commission NOT to allow the bottling plant on 200 acres of farmland by the park (which they ignored) but have not itme to petition the Board of the Suwannee River Water Management District. Contact me if a fax list can be posted. Marianne

People Magazine Features Florida Springs Activist Terri Wolfe!
People magazine features Terri Wolfe and her decade long battle with Zephyrhills Spring Water Co.

In the Jan. 13 issue on newsstands now, Cohen tells the story of Wolfe's struggle against Zephyrhills Spring Water Co. and spring owner Robert Thomas. The company, owned by Perrier, sells water from the springs where Wolfe picnicked as a child. She wants the bottler out and the springs to again be an uncontaminated, public recreation spot.

Water Miners the New Pirates! Idiots!

Greetings from Capt. John, Tampa Florida January 2003 Newsletter—Probably the biggest threat to Florida Springs are the water miners, Perrier/Nestle, Dannon (Danone) and a host of other water pirates. I am glad they did not bottle water in the 50's and 60's. We would have twice the problem we have now. Idiots! VISIT CAPT. JOHN'S WEBSITE>>>

Water Thieves Sponsor Florida Water Conference
Florida springs conference Feb.. 4th & 5th — sponsored by Nestle spring waters.

I have a problem with this as I bust my butt 3,660 + hours per year for 8 years for free to protect Florida's springs while the State Springs, then the "Task Force" lays out the red carpet for Perrier/ Zephyrhills Bottled Water alias Great Spring Waters Of America [alias Nestle Waters]. All on our tax dollar payroll. To add insult to injury Damone in the agenda!

Ask James Stevenson why? James.Stevenson@dep.state.fl.us

I really wanted to attend this event, discussion agenda is most interesting but as my husband said this morning, "Forget it Terri , you could chew through a stainless steel muzzle"

I wonder what good ole boy set this up. Public supply in chronic shortage status and our spring protectors snuggling up to the borehole bottlers .

Can anyone find the billion dollar answer to "who set this cozy relationship in motion?"

Stop the Pumping
The Nestle Corporation is Abusing our Country's Most Important Natural Resource.

In recent years the Swiss corporation has acquired numerous bottled water companies, thus gaining the rights to our most precious artesian springs. Operating under the names Great Spring Waters of America, Perrier Group of America, Ozarka, Deer Park, Zephyrhills and many others, Nestle's pumping and bore holing is a serious threat to our environment. In 1997, The Wall Street Journal reported that Perrier Group of America owns or operates 122 springs in the U.S. alone.

For generations, the public has enjoyed swimming and picnicking at Crystal Springs Recreational Preserve. Crystal Springs is the main source of pure water for the Hillsborough River, supplying Tampa with the majority of its drinking water. Recently the spring owner has closed the Preserve so that Perrier (if permitted) can increase pumping from 301,000 gallons a day to 2.6 million. Perrier representatives call this an "insignificant" amount, which will have no effect on the environment. Save Our Springs, Inc. strongly disagrees and vows to STOP THE PUMPING!

As water becomes the most sought after commodity in the world, do we want a corporation controlling our springs? As wells and ponds dry up and springs become contaminated from over-pumping, can we afford to sit by and watch?

Save Our Springs Inc. will continue to keep you informed with news articles, editorials and letters from Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida and anywhere we discover this environmental abuse to persist.

Save Our Springs Inc. is dedicated to the preservation of Florida's springs. Please read on and contact us, via the e-mail link below, if you have any information you feel may be helpful to our cause.

A Letter from Terri Wolfe, President, Save Our Springs, Inc.

In the beginning ... the original descendents of the “Crystal Springs Common Good Society” came to me with a bit of history and hope of helping to reclaim their beloved spring. They waited a while at first, they weren’t too sure ... as I was forced to extremes creating a ruckus to draw attention to the theft of our springs. These were lessons learned the hard way, such as having the Grim Reaper present at my first meetings, everyone left instantly ... they didn't realize the Grim Reaper stands for mistakes of our past, oh no, they thought it meant Dr. Death. Lessons # 1 retire the robe.

Then came dead fish day! I watched these pitiful fish be eaten alive by birds as their pond went totally dry within a couple weeks ... READ LETTER>>>

Dear Col. May and Supervisor Hankla,

Attached are my formal comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed IMC Ona Phosphate Mine, and the list of exhibits accompanying my comment letter.

A hard copy of my comment letter and exhibits was delivered to the COE's West Permits Branch address in Tampa (Express Mail EU850249659US) today, as well as to the FWS' Jacksonville office.

Please note that a large portion of the $8.4 BILLION restoration of the Everglades is due to contamination (eutrophication) with fertilizer-laden agricultural run-off. That is only one example of the adverse indirect and cumulative impacts of phosphate mining activities, such as the one proposed in the draft EIS. Those impacts were not addressed in the draft EIS.

An economically-feasible alternative that was not addressed in the draft EIS is the use of manure from horse farms to make fertilizer. For example, a thoroughbred farm west of Boynton Beach, Florida has 800 horses. Approximately 3 truck loads of manure a day is proposed to be shipped to the Palm Beach County or Okeechobee County landfill. That manure could be processed for fertilizers, circumventing the need for mining wetlands.

Please let me know if you have questions regarding my comments.

Sincerely,
Sydney T. Bacchus, Ph. D.
Hydroegologist

Sign the Petition to STOP the Pumping!

Got Nuke?

Imagine a beautiful Orange grove hanging ripe with succulent fresh fruit...

Now wake up … The reality is, Florida has become home to dozens of uranium processing factories, which have generated billions of tons of highly radioactive waste. Much of that waste is in the form of gypsum which has been graded smooth and planted with grass and orange trees. Millions of dollars have been made by real estate developers on top of beautifully landscaped radioactive waste!

The Plant City Public Golf Course is constructed of Coronet's old gypsum waste and the ponds are the old settling ponds. A Radioactive nuke dump being developed into a public golf course reflects the same mindset as we see in the Alafia State Park, the former site of the American Cyanamid Company at Brewster. The American Cyanamid Company generously donated (disposed) of land for a park, complete with uranium tailings and settling ponds. The State accepted liability for the clean up of this nuke zone—insanity!

[to be continued]

Terri Wolfe, President, Save Our Springs, Inc.—E-Mail
Brad Willis Vice Pres.—E-Mail

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