Our investment in each of our spring sites depends upon the long-term sustainability and health of natural aquifers. Our natural resource managers manage each of our sources' long-term sustainability by collecting aquifer data using sound, long-term environmental monitoring practices.
Poland Spring is proud to be a leader in this clean industry. Our primary resource – spring water – is fully renewable. In fact, Poland Spring represents a relatively small water user, accounting for less than 1% of reported groundwater use in Maine each year.
Maine Bottled Water Facts
• 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.
• A large blueberry grower in Maine may irrigate with nearly 400 million gallons during
dry years.
Source: Maine State Geologist’s office
• Bottled Water Comparison
• Nestlé and Nestlé Waters Global Water Use
• U.S. Water Use
• Water Withdrawal Reporting Program Annual Report
by The Maine Department of Environmental Protection
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