Certified Geologist

As a natural resource manager for Poland Spring, it is not surprising that I get asked lots of questions about water. As public awareness increases about water use both locally and globally, it is natural for people to wonder – How much water do we have in Maine? How much water does Poland Spring use?

Like other groundwater users, Poland Spring has been in business for a very long time – in our case, since 1845. Like other natural resource based industries, we have learned to manage the natural resource we use – water – to produce a value–added Maine product that’s sustainable year after year.

Standing on Poland Spring’s original site is a grove of huge maple trees planted more than 100 years ago by the original spring owners, a symbol of another traditional Maine product. Maple syrup producers must manage their resource responsibly in order to continue selling their product. There’s simply no business if trees are destroyed in the process of maple syrup production. 

Spring water production here in Maine requires the same stewardship, year after year. The springs in Maine used by Poland Spring continue to flow and aquifers receive more water regularly in the form of rain and snow – a process called recharge. The spring source and the aquifer aren’t harmed as long as we use this recharge in a managed, sustainable way. 

But how do we ensure that spring water withdrawal is sustainable for the long term? Put simply – our own careful scientific monitoring, public reporting, and local, state and federal regulation.

Keeping springs sustainable 

First of all, Poland Spring chooses spring sources that can be managed sustainably. Our goal is to ensure that our water sources are healthy, clean and sustainable. Like the Maine maple syrup industry, it is foremost in our company’s best interest to ensure that our resource is not depleted. 

In addition, we operate under significant federal, state and local regulation and oversight. For example, state permitting of spring water withdrawal commonly requires the monitoring of nearby surface water and natural habitats. This gives us data that helps to ensure that we are meeting our permit requirements and that there is no harm to local wells and watersheds. Because Poland Spring has planned for the future with nine permitted sites across Maine, we can adjust when and where we make spring water withdrawals without negative impact to the environment or our business.

Groundwater in Maine is abundant and renewable. Maine reports an average annual rainfall of approximately 44 inches, which produces 2 to 5 trillion gallons of groundwater recharge (data from Maine Geological Survey). People, municipalities, and companies combined utilize a small amount of that recharge and do so without harm to the environment. Poland Spring uses less than 1 percent of the total groundwater use reported in Maine annually. But what about the future?

Taking climate change into account

I often hear concerns that climate change “might change everything” when it comes to future water availability in Maine. I understand the worry, which is why, as a hydro–geologist, I look at the data and the analyses of experts to understand what our resources might look like in the years to come.

During the past 100 years, while climate change forces have been at work, we have seen an overall increase in precipitation here in Maine (information from the National Climatic Data Center). The International Panel on Climate Change predicts that the Northeast will continue to become even wetter.

In order to best manage these changing systems, when we gather spring water from our sites, the resource is monitored and reported to the public. Governmental regulations are in place and if monitoring shows a change in a local water system, then the regulations require us to reduce or cease withdrawals to re–establish safeguard levels. We have started to post our monthly and annual monitoring data on our Web site, www.polandspringme.com (see the Fryeburg and Denmark Web pages specifically for a sample of these public reports). 

At Poland Spring, both the maples and the springs are alive and well, ready to produce Maine products and support sustainable jobs. We all depend on water – people, businesses and the environment.

When we all take the time to understand the science, we can work together to manage our shared resource responsibly for generations to come and create good jobs here at home.