‘Elora was ground zero in battle over bottled water’

CENTRE WELLINGTON – When Nestlé Waters Canada set its sights on a well outside Elora in 2015, a group of concerned citizens sprung into action. 

The company planned to bottle 1.6 million litres of water per day from the Middlebrook well. But the plan never came to fruition.

Now, a new book outlines the decade-long campaign to stop Nestlé.

It Took a Community ... and Ten Years: The Save Our Water Story was written by Elora-based researcher Jan Beveridge and tells the inside story of how a community united to protect groundwater.

“Taking water from the same aquifer that local families, farms, businesses and ecosystems relied on felt deeply wrong,” Donna McCaw writes in the book’s introduction.

McCaw told the Advertiser she’s helping to promote and distribute the book to “get the message out about how a community can come together to organize, let our voices be heard, meet with politicians and decision makers, and win.” 

At first, pushing back seemed nearly impossible, McCaw wrote: “How could a small community stand up to a rich, powerful multinational corporation?” 

But stand up they did. 

The Save Our Water group – initially called Friends of Elora Water – was formed; new water protection laws were enacted; and in April 2025, Centre Wellington purchased the Middlebrook well.  

“The impact reaches further than the township,” Beveridge writes in the book. “Municipalities across Ontario now have the power to say no to water bottlers seeking their groundwater. This wasn’t just a win. It was a transformation.” 

“Because of what we did in this community, the policies concerning water taking in Ontario changed,” McCaw said.   

The book follows a timeline, giving readers a glimpse of the campaign’s scope. Politicians, citizens and fundraisers are quoted, and colour pictures underline the community’s participation. 

“This community can be proud of the many people who added their voices, dedication, time and effort to realize the successful purchase by the township of the Middlebrook well,” McCaw writes. 

“The dedication, creativity, resolve and collaboration stand out in this readable celebration of this community and its persistence over the decade.”

The Save Our Water Story is available for purchase at Magic Pebble, Home Hardware and Cordial Clove in Elora; The Bookery in Fergus; at the Wellington County Museum; The Bookshelf in Guelph; and occasionally at the Saturday Farmers’ Market in Elora.

Readers will learn about the story that united a community, secured drinking water and brought change to water policy in the province, setting an example to encourage others to keep fighting in the face of overwhelming odds, officials say.