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A battle is brewing just east of the state capitol in rural Jefferson County, over the rights to water from a pristine river. Nestle has told local residents it is studying whether the company could take between a half million and a million and a half gallons from springs in the area to feed its water bottling operation in a neighboring county. Residents in the tiny town of Wacissa are up in arms.

The brand names are familiar..Deer Park..or Zepherhills…this Madison County Nestle waters plant pumps out more than a hundred thousand bottles an hour from a nearby spring….But the Ken Koptiuch says Company needs more to meet demand.

�We don�t necessarily use water from the same source to put on a Sam�s Club product as we would on a Zepherhills product�, says the plant manager. �So we look for alternate sources for that reason. �

Nestle is studying whether the springs that form the Wacissa River in Jefferson county can supply up to a million and a half more gallons a day. The water would be trucked across local roads to the the bottling plant. Hardly a yard in the area is without a �say no to nestle sign� …Roland Brumbley was born here 65 years ago, and is a leading spokesperson against the plant. �We just want people to know that we love this river and we don�t want it destroyed. We don�t want these natural resources to go away�, says the 65 year old resident.

The company says it is just studying the idea…no decision has been made and won�t for at least 6 months. Koptiuch says The company will look out for the river..and pay attention to local residents. �If the scientific study shows this is not a feasible project, we will walk away�.

If approved and after paying a couple hundred dollars for a use permit, Nestle could take a million and a half gallons a day and never pay another cent.The fact the water is almost free burns local residents like Brumbley even more. �And here is a foreign company, not an American based company, coming and taking something that belongs to the people of the State of Florida for free�, says Brumbley.

Nestle says if it is going to be charged for the water by the gallon…every user should have to pay the same fee.

Governor Charlie Crist proposed a six cent a gallon extraction fee for water in 2009, but if never got a legislative hearing.