Our business depends upon the long-term sustainability and health of Maine’s aquifers. Poland Spring’s natural resource managers make sure that each spring source is monitored and analyzed for sustainability by collecting data using state of the art environmental monitoring. State and local officials, as well as independent scientists and water experts, also monitor Poland Spring’s water use. Regulators have the right to reduce or halt water withdrawal to protect the local watershed from harm at any time.

Maine has abundant and renewable ground water resources. Poland Spring uses only a small fraction in any local watershed and less than 1% of all the water used statewide. Poland Spring is committed to the sustainable management of Maine’s renewable water resources. Our Maine employees and our business depend on it.

About Water in Maine:

• Average annual rainfall: 42 inches. Equivalent to 24 trillion gallons statewide.
• Run-off: About 50% of precipitation, or about 12 trillion gallons, runs off the landscape in streams and rivers.
• Evaporation/transpiration: About 30-40% of rainfall evaporates or is transpired through vegetation. This equals about 7-10 trillion gallons.
• Infiltration to groundwater: About 10-20% of precipitation infiltrates to recharge groundwater. This is about 2 to 5 trillion gallons annually.
• Mapped sand and gravel aquifers occupy about 1,300 square miles of Maine’s landscape.
• Average annual recharge to these aquifers is about 240 billion gallons.
  

  -Robert Marvinney, State Geologist, Maine Geological Survey, Department of Conservation

Poland Spring’s total annual statewide water use:

• About 700 million gallons or less than four tenths of one percent of groundwater used in Maine.

Learn more with these helpful resources:

• Water Use Comparison by Product
• Nestlé and Nestlé Waters Global Water Use
• U.S. Water Use
• Water Withdrawal Reporting Program Annual Report by The Maine Department of Environmental Protection

Water Withdrawal in Maine