Taylor Made Water Systems

 

Here’s yet another update on the Sacramento Nestle plant that was going far too smoothly for Nestle (it isn’t now).  Sacramento officials ordered Nestle to stop work on the plant over environmental concerns and a possible public hearing process.  I’m glad to see Sacramento sticking up for itself and taking a deeper look at the potential for 80 million gallons of water per year being bottled.  Time will tell if Nestle has another McCloud on its hands.

http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2283859.html

Sacramento tells Nestle: Stop building bottled water plant

By Ryan Lillis
The city of Sacramento has ordered food giant Nestlé to stop work on construction of a new bottled water plant in south Sacramento while the City Council decides whether to impose new planning requirements on such facilities.

The council is scheduled to vote tonight on whether to require special permits for beverage bottling plants – which means they would have to go through public hearings before the Planning Commission and council.

Stricter environmental regulations could also be placed on the projects if the proposed ordinance is passed, said David Kwong, acting director of the Community Development Department.

"With a pending ordinance, the issue of allowing work to more forward came into question," Kwong said. "This was a prudent measure."

Brendan O’Rourke, a supply chain director for Nestlé, criticized the city for issuing the stop work order without an immediate explanation. The order – which was taped to a warehouse door around 3:45 p.m. Friday – put 80 people out of work, according to Nestlé.

Kwong said city officials contacted Nestlé on Monday to explain the delay.

"We’ve complied with the rules, we’ve followed the process and to change that process midstream is very concerning for us and for any business that would come here," O’Rourke said. He said the company has invested more than $3.8 million in the project, which is located in the Florin Fruitridge Industrial Park.

If the council votes against the special permit ordinance, city staff could decide to rescind the stop work order as early as Wednesday, Kwong said. If the ordinance passes, it will be up the council – on the advice of the city attorney whether the changes should apply to the Nestlé plant, where construction began last month, according to Kwong.

Environmental concerns and complaints that the Nestlé plant was approved without broader input led Councilman Kevin McCarty, whose district includes the facility, to call for the council discussion on stricter permits. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond also urged the discussion.

Nestlé completed the first phase of its construction on Oct. 7 and was given the authority to begin a second phase, including plumbing and electrical work, according to building officials. A third phase is pending.

Both Kwong and O’Rourke said Nestlé has complied with its permits.

City officials have said the Nestlé plant could draw an estimated 80 million gallons of water a year – or about two-tenths of a percent of the city’s total water consumption.

But Nestlé officials said the amount of water drawn from the city water system will be closer to 30 million gallons next year. Another 20 million gallons of spring water will be trucked to the facility from sources in Placer, El Dorado, Tuolumne and Napa counties.

City staff said the Nestlé plant did not require special permits because it is being built in an area already zoned for industrial use.

There were no public hearings held in connection with the Nestlé plant, which was approved by staff in the Community Development Department.

McCarty said he went to the plant on Monday with a camera and that "major work" appeared to have been completed.

"I have concerns after what we saw in North Natomas that we want to make sure all permits were authorized appropriately, no special treatment was given and the correct permits were in place to do the work," McCarty said.

An investigation is under way into a series of permits that were issued by a development department supervisor to allow for new-home construction in the Natomas flood zone, an apparent violation of a federally mandated building moratorium.

McCarty said he also maintains concerns about the Nestlé plant’s environmental impact.

"Water is increasingly valuable, and we want to make sure we’re making smart decisions," he said.

Joey – Water Bottle

Another reason for TM Water…

After a way too smooth process of getting a bottling plant approved in Sacramento, it looks like Nestle will face some opposition after all.  Sacramento communities and City Council members are taking a closer look at Nestle’s plan to use 80 million gallons per year for its bottling operation.  I thought this was too easy for them.  We’ll see if they’re facing another McCloud soon.

Sacramento reacts to Nestlé bottling plan

Friday, October 16, 2009

 

SACRAMENTO, CA — City lawmakers here are reacting to community opposition to Nestlé Waters North America’s plan to set up a water bottling facility in Sacramento, The Sacramento Bee reported October 15.

Sacramento City Council members have called for a council discussion on the issue of whether an emergency ordinance should be written to require special permits for water bottling facilities. Councilman Kevin McCarty also has asked the city’s Utilities Department to explore a system of tiered water rates for commercial facilities. McCarty’s district includes the Nestlé Waters’ project site, which already is zoned for industrial use.

In September, the company withdrew its controversial plan to build a 350,000-square-foot water-bottling facility at the base of Mount Shasta near McCloud, CA, about 200 miles north of Sacramento, as WaterTech Online® reported. Nestlé Waters President and CEO Kim E. Jeffery said the Mount Shasta site was no longer needed because the company had acquired a site in Sacramento for a water bottling facility that would produce its Pure Life and Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water brands.

Now Nestlé Waters is again facing opposition, with members of the Sacramento community voicing concern over the company’s plan to draw about 80 million gallons of water a year, or 0.2 percent of the city’s total consumption.

No, it’s not another escalation of the water wars.  We’re not bombing the moon to conquer it – just enough to gather some debris and see what’s in it.  I’m just hoping if they do find water, Nestle doesn’t run up there and start bottling it.

 

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/LCROSS_Viewers_Guide.html

NASA to ‘bomb’ moon in water quest

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL — In the morning hours of October 9, NASA will bomb the moon in its quest for lunar water.

According to an online NASA “viewers’ guide,” NASA is prepared to direct the LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) and its Centaur booster rocket into the floor of the crater Cabeus “for a spectacular double-impact designed to unearth signs of lunar water.”

The Centaur rocket is scheduled to strike first at 7:30 a.m. Eastern, “transforming 2,200 kilograms (kg) (about 4,850 pounds) of mass and 10 billion joules (7.4 billion foot-pounds) of kinetic energy into a blinding flash of heat and light,” NASA said. Space agency researchers expect the impact will let fly a plume of debris as high as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).”

Close behind, the LCROSS mother ship will photograph the collision for NASA TV, and then fly through the debris plume while onboard spectrometers analyze the sunlit plume for signs of water, water-molecule fragments (OH), salts, clays, hydrated minerals and assorted organic molecules.

“If there’s water there, or anything else interesting, we’ll find it,” Tony Colaprete, the mission’s principal investigator, is quoted saying.

Four minutes after the Centaur rocket impacts Cabeus, the mother ship is to plunge into the moon. According to NASA experts, the impact of the 700-kg (1,543-pound) LCROSS satellite will send another, smaller debris plume over the rim of Cabeus.

The Hubble Space Telescope, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and other telescopes on Earth will scrutinize the plume, looking for signs of water.

For those interested in watching the action, NASA TV will begin its broadcast at 3:15 a.m. Pacific (6:15 a.m. Eastern) on October 9; the actual impacts start at 4:30 a.m. Pacific (7:30 a.m. Eastern).

According to NASA, it also will be possible to view the debris plumes through mid-sized backyard telescopes — 10 inches and larger. Brian Day of NASA/Ames said, “The initial explosions will probably be hidden behind crater walls, but the plumes will rise high enough above the crater’s rim to be seen from Earth.”

The Pacific Ocean and western parts of North America are favored with darkness and a good view of the moon at the time of impact. Hawaii is the best place to be, with coastal western North America a close second. NASA says any place west of the Mississippi River is a potential observing site.

• The Taylor Family Foundation (TTFF), a non-for-profit organization, mission is preserving the wellness an enhancing… http://bit.ly/99O58 #

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