ENM Council continues hearing Actions on bottling plant on hold until EAW decision is made

The Elko New Market City Council continued its public hearing about the proposed Niagara Bottling water bottling plant on Tuesday, Dec. 20. The public hearing had begun on Thursday, Dec. 15. For most of the two-and-ahalf-hour Dec. 20 meeting, the council heard from more than 30 people at city hall and those attending online.

“We want to hear from everyone,” said Elko New Marker Mayor Joe Julius to those gathered. He asked people who didn’t get a chance to speak at the Dec. 15 meeting be allowed to talk first. Most of the comments were against the proposed water bottling plant, while a few did favor the proposal.

Any action on the project is being put on hold until mid-January, when a decision is expected from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on whether an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) is needed. An EAW is a document which lays out the basic facts of a project and helps to determine if an Environmental Impact Statement is needed for the project.

Residents of Elko New Market and New Market Township signed a petition asking for an EAW and submitted it to the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, which assigned it to the DNR. The DNR has 15 business days to determine if an EAW is needed, although the DNR can extend the deadline for its decision by another 15 business days.

If an EAW is done, Niagara Bottling will pay for it. An estimate on the cost for the EAW could be prepared by the DNR.

Until the DNR makes it decision, the council unanimously approved a motion at its Dec. 20 meeting to table three resolutions. Two were...

To see more on this story pick up the December 29, 2022 print edition of The New Prague Times.