Hood River County officials have approved a ballot measure that would stop Nestle from building a controversial water bottling plant in Cascade Locks.
The measure, set to appear on primary ballot in May, would be a coup for environmental advocates seeking to block the water giant from bottling and selling 100 million gallons of local spring water each year.
It would ban commercial operations bottling more than 1,000 gallons a day in Hood River County. Supporters needed just under 500 signatures but turned in more than 1,500 to the county clerk's office, said Pamela Larsen, one of the chief petitioners.
"We had a lot of public support," Larsen said in a phone interview. "You see Mt. Hood, every summer it gets drier and drier."
Nestle officials did not immediately return requests for comment.
The ballot measure comes amid a growing backlash over Nestle's plan following one of the driest summers ever recorded in Oregon. Last month, Gov. Kate Brown ordered the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to back away from a proposed water-swap between Oxbow Springs and Cascade Locks' municipal water supply. Brown has otherwise declined to take sides, saying it's a local issue.
Cascade Locks city officials largely support the plan, saying it could create 50 jobs and nearly double the city's annual property tax revenue. Environmentalists say it could deplete the local water supply, and tribal leaders worry it could affect fishing treaty rights in the Columbia River.
-- Ian K. Kullgren
503-294-4006; @IanKullgren