5 ms·

> their location on the water Which I misread as "the location of their water". Which is actually quite serious. See https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/in-d

by trop 8y ago

> their location on the water Which I misread as "the location of their water". Which is actually quite serious. See https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/in-dayton-ohio-an-economic-comeback-is-in-the-water/906e35a2-b22e-4649-9dbf-04961aa89fed https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/in-dayton-ohio-an-econo... > As states like California face major water shortages, city officials in Dayton sense a business opportunity. ... the self-filtering, self-recharging freshwater supply, along with the rivers, once made Dayton attractive to water-intensive industries in the 19th century. > Mills, factories, and countless little breweries lined the river before Prohibition, and Dayton was a hub of innovation and wealth. > ... > “We’re running into limits,” says Peter Gleick, the head of the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit research organization in Oakland, California. “...In the past we’ve sort of assumed enough water would always be available, and I think we can no longer assume that’s going to be the case.” > ... > “Back to the midwest” — that phrase is music to Karen Thomas’s ears. Thomas is the head of water marketing for Dayton (yes, that’s actually a job). > “We have an abundant water source,” she says. “We don’t believe that we would have to worry about water.” > ... > “Water is a public good, but it’s also a commodity,” she says. > An economic development team in Dayton has conducted talks with several food processors, manufacturers, and beverage makers that could use an inexpensive and abundant supply of water. Companies that choose Dayton would face little of the regulation placed on water diversions in the Great Lakes basin; here, if you can drill a well, you can drain it. The article continues on to pollution issues in the Midwest, so more twists ahead.

omegaworks 8y ago
This is exactly why Nestle set up shop in Michigan. They can afford to maintain their own infrastructure to pump and bottle the cheap, abundant water and the government could give a damn about the marginalized, majority black and latino population that remains in the area. Big corporate players are noticing the trend and playing the long game. There's a reason why Michigan and Wisconsin have crippled collective bargaining and imposed restrictive voter-ID measures. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/29/nestle-pays-200-a-year-to-bottle-water-near-flint-where-water-is-undrinkable https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/29/nestle-pays-...
- vinay427 8y ago
  > There's a reason why Michigan and Wisconsin have crippled collective bargaining and imposed restrictive voter-ID measures. This is, in all practical matters, incorrect for Michigan. See the following, directly from the relevant authority's website: "Michigan does have a voter identification requirement at the polls. Voters are asked to present an acceptable photo ID such as a Michigan driver's license or identification card. Please note that voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID or failed to bring it with them to the polls still can vote. They simply sign a brief affidavit stating that they're not in possession of a photo ID. Their ballots are included with all others and counted on Election Day." https://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-29836-202520--F,00.html https://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-29836-202520--F,00... I lived in the state for years and met many people who never showed acceptable ID to vote.
- maxerickson 8y ago
  Nestle set up shop 185 miles from Detroit because there is a nice aquifer there and the permit was cheap. Detroit actually has a good water supply and good treatment (their distribution system is aging). I'd be fine with Nestle paying a whole lot more for the permit (because bottled water is dumb), but the value of the water they are extracting isn't even that high, so if you made them pay high prices and used all the money improving municipal water systems, it wouldn't make much difference.
microtherion 8y ago
Ohio is particularly useful as a source of flammable water…
- Thriptic 8y ago
  "Come see our river which catches on fire. It's so polluted that all our fish have AIDS." For those unfamiliar, the Cuyahoga river which flows through Ohio was so polluted at various points that it caught on fire 10+ times. The fires were one of the catalysts for the environmental movement.

by trop 8y ago

omegaworks 8y ago

This is exactly why Nestle set up shop in Michigan. They can afford to maintain their own infrastructure to pump and bottle the cheap, abundant water and the government could give a damn about the marginalized, majority black and latino population that remains in the area. Big corporate players are noticing the trend and playing the long game. There's a reason why Michigan and Wisconsin have crippled collective bargaining and imposed restrictive voter-ID measures. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/29/nestle-pays-200-a-year-to-bottle-water-near-flint-where-water-is-undrinkable https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/29/nestle-pays-...

vinay427 8y ago
> There's a reason why Michigan and Wisconsin have crippled collective bargaining and imposed restrictive voter-ID measures. This is, in all practical matters, incorrect for Michigan. See the following, directly from the relevant authority's website: "Michigan does have a voter identification requirement at the polls. Voters are asked to present an acceptable photo ID such as a Michigan driver's license or identification card. Please note that voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID or failed to bring it with them to the polls still can vote. They simply sign a brief affidavit stating that they're not in possession of a photo ID. Their ballots are included with all others and counted on Election Day." https://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-29836-202520--F,00.html https://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-29836-202520--F,00... I lived in the state for years and met many people who never showed acceptable ID to vote.
maxerickson 8y ago
Nestle set up shop 185 miles from Detroit because there is a nice aquifer there and the permit was cheap. Detroit actually has a good water supply and good treatment (their distribution system is aging). I'd be fine with Nestle paying a whole lot more for the permit (because bottled water is dumb), but the value of the water they are extracting isn't even that high, so if you made them pay high prices and used all the money improving municipal water systems, it wouldn't make much difference.

microtherion 8y ago

Ohio is particularly useful as a source of flammable water…

Thriptic 8y ago
"Come see our river which catches on fire. It's so polluted that all our fish have AIDS." For those unfamiliar, the Cuyahoga river which flows through Ohio was so polluted at various points that it caught on fire 10+ times. The fires were one of the catalysts for the environmental movement.