Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Monday October 26th, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every week day we’re sharing a closer look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of other important things happening in our state. 

And make sure you tune in tomorrow - we’re adding a special section talking about how we’re dealing with a global pandemic here in Colorado, featuring insight from our readers and listeners like you.

For today our focus is on Nestlé’s plan to pump 65 million gallons of Upper Arkansas River Valley water for bottling in Denver.

Today’s episode is brought to you by IndieGetUp. If you want a chance to win $2200 worth of impeccable outdoor gear, then check out their Born in Colorado Giveaway!

To enter, go to indiegetup.com/giveaway and follow the prompt to win, also check out indiegetup.com for your men’s sustainable fashion needs.

Before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

Today, we take you back to October 26th, 1991, the date of the groundbreaking ceremony for Animas - La Plata water project. The project was authorized by the Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968. And then in 1988, it was incorporated into the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act.

Now, our feature story. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GFjtiasm5w

That was former Nestle CEO, Peter Brabeck in an interview at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

And on Thursday, Dozens of Chaffee County residents lined up to virtually Zoom blast Nestlé Waters North America’s plan to pump 65 million gallons of groundwater per year out of the Upper Arkansas River Valley for bottling in Denver. 

The same scene played out in 2009, when the world’s largest food and beverage company applied for a permit to drill wells along the banks of the Arkansas River and build a pipeline to a station where 25 trucks a day would haul the spring water to a Denver plant for bottling under the Arrowhead brand. 

The plan this time around isn’t that much different as they now ask Chaffee County for a new 10-year permit. But as the commissioners heard last week in a series of three marathon meetings, 2020 is a lot different than 2009.  

The county’s population is booming. Drought is ravaging the state. Plastic is polluting the planet. And Nestlé Waters has been targeted by conservation groups across the country as it expands its water bottling operations. 

Nestlé is about to sell its North American water brands.

Today, Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins is joining us to explain what’s going on, and how the local communities have reacted. 

So, Jason, can you start by explaining what exactly Nestle wants to do?

So, I imagine Nestle is facing similar opposition across the country, right?

And further complicating the situation is Nestle’s plan to sell its North American water brands - can you talk more about that?

And finally, what’s the timeline for the decision here?

Thanks for joining Jason

Much of the opposition has focused on the 2009 agreement that landed Nestlé Waters on the banks of the Arkansas River. Some even argue that the company should have already donated a 130-acre conservation easement to the county. 

 Tom Bomer, a co-founder of the Unbottle group, said the 2009 permit with Chaffee County was “poorly crafted” and “tilted toward Nestlé’s interests.”

 He also pointed to the fact that almost all of Colorado is locked in a drought for the first time since 2013. In Bomer’s opinion - [quote] “This contract has failed the citizens of Chaffee County.” 

Thanks for listening. And, before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:

The East Troublesome fire’s 105,000-acre jump from Wednesday night into Thursday alone would classify it as the fifth-largest wildfire in recorded state history; the fire as a whole is now the second-largest.

-

On Sunday Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming one of the highest profile Coloradans to fall ill with the disease.

-

Two deaths have been confirmed due to the East Troublesome fire. The bodies of Lyle and Marilyn Hileman, who honeymooned in Grand County in 1952, were discovered on Friday afternoon in their home near Grand Lake

-

The deadline to claim up to $1,800 in bonus federal unemployment benefits has passed for thousands of jobless Coloradans. And political differences continue to thwart new relief plans from moving forward in Congress.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. 

And don’t forget to check out the Born in Colorado Giveaway curated by IndieGetUp, Colorado’s number-one sustainable men’s fashion marketplace, for a chance to win $2200 worth of outdoor gear! Featuring Folsom Skis, Strafe Outerwear, Lems Shoes, D-Curve Optics, Point 6 socks, Arcanum CBD-infused tape, Ripton & Company, and Elsewhere Candle Company.

The IndieGetUp giveaway is the perfect way to explore the outdoors with premium gear.

Again, go to indiegetup.com/giveaway and follow the prompt to win, also check out indiegetup.com for all of your men’s sustainable fashion needs.

And remember, The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Monday October 26th, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every week day we&rsquo;re sharing a closer look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of other important things happening in our state.&nbsp;
And make sure you tune in tomorrow - we&rsquo;re adding a special section talking about how we&rsquo;re dealing with a global pandemic here in Colorado, featuring insight from our readers and listeners like you.
For today our focus is on Nestl&eacute;&rsquo;s plan to pump 65 million gallons of Upper Arkansas River Valley water for bottling in Denver.
Today&rsquo;s episode is brought to you by IndieGetUp. If you want a chance to win $2200 worth of impeccable outdoor gear, then check out their Born in Colorado Giveaway!
To enter, go to indiegetup.com/giveaway and follow the prompt to win, also check out indiegetup.com for your men&rsquo;s sustainable fashion needs.
Before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
Today, we take you back to October 26th, 1991, the date of the groundbreaking ceremony for Animas - La Plata water project. The project was authorized by the Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968. And then in 1988, it was incorporated into the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act.
Now, our feature story.&nbsp;
&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GFjtiasm5w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GFjtiasm5w</a>
That was former Nestle CEO, Peter Brabeck in an interview at the University of Virginia&rsquo;s Darden School of Business.
And on Thursday, Dozens of Chaffee County residents lined up to virtually Zoom blast Nestl&eacute; Waters North America&rsquo;s plan to pump 65 million gallons of groundwater per year out of the Upper Arkansas River Valley for bottling in Denver.&nbsp;
The same scene played out in 2009, when the world&rsquo;s largest food and beverage company applied for a permit to drill wells along the banks of the Arkansas River and build a pipeline to a station where 25 trucks a day would haul the spring water to a Denver plant for bottling under the Arrowhead brand.&nbsp;
The plan this time around isn&rsquo;t that much different as they now ask Chaffee County for a new 10-year permit. But as the commissioners heard last week in a series of three marathon meetings, 2020 is a lot different than 2009.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The county&rsquo;s population is booming.<a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/10/16/colorado-drought-status-first-time-since-2013/"> Drought is ravaging the state</a>. Plastic is polluting the planet. And Nestl&eacute; Waters has been targeted by conservation groups across the country as it expands its water bottling operations.&nbsp;
Nestl&eacute; is about to sell its North American water brands.
Today, Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins is joining us to explain what&rsquo;s going on, and how the local communities have reacted.&nbsp;
So, Jason, can you start by explaining what exactly Nestle wants to do?
So, I imagine Nestle is facing similar opposition across the country, right?
And further complicating the situation is Nestle&rsquo;s plan to sell its North American water brands - can you talk more about that?
And finally, what&rsquo;s the timeline for the decision here?
Thanks for joining Jason
Much of the opposition has focused on the 2009 agreement that landed Nestl&eacute; Waters on the banks of the Arkansas River. Some even argue that the company should have already donated a 130-acre conservation easement to the county.&nbsp;
&nbsp;Tom Bomer, a co-founder of the Unbottle group, said the 2009 permit with Chaffee County was &ldquo;poorly crafted&rdquo; and &ldquo;tilted toward Nestl&eacute;&rsquo;s interests.&rdquo;
&nbsp;He also pointed to the fact that almost all of Colorado is locked<a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/10/16/colorado-drought-status-first-time-since-2013/"> in a drought for the first time since 2013</a>. In Bomer&rsquo;s opinion - [quote] &ldquo;This contract has failed the citizens of Chaffee County.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Thanks for listening. And, before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:
The East Troublesome fire&rsquo;s 105,000-acre jump from Wednesday night into Thursday alone would classify it as the fifth-largest wildfire in recorded state history; the fire as a whole is now the second-largest.
-
On Sunday Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming one of the highest profile Coloradans to fall ill with the disease.
-
Two deaths have been confirmed due to the East Troublesome fire. The bodies of Lyle and Marilyn Hileman, who honeymooned in Grand County in 1952, were discovered on Friday afternoon in their home near Grand Lake
-
The deadline to claim up to $1,800 in bonus federal unemployment benefits has passed for thousands of jobless Coloradans. And political differences continue to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/10/21/covid-19-senate-take-up-500-billion-coronavirus-stimulus-bill/3713066001/">thwart new relief plans</a> from moving forward in Congress.
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>.&nbsp;
And don&rsquo;t forget to check out the Born in Colorado Giveaway curated by IndieGetUp, Colorado&rsquo;s number-one sustainable men&rsquo;s fashion marketplace, for a chance to win $2200 worth of outdoor gear! Featuring Folsom Skis, Strafe Outerwear, Lems Shoes, D-Curve Optics, Point 6 socks, Arcanum CBD-infused tape, Ripton &amp; Company, and Elsewhere Candle Company.
The IndieGetUp giveaway is the perfect way to explore the outdoors with premium gear.
Again, go to <a href="http://indiegetup.com/giveaway">indiegetup.com/giveaway</a> and follow the prompt to win, also check out <a href="http://indiegetup.com/">indiegetup.com</a> for all of your men&rsquo;s sustainable fashion needs.
And remember, The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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