"1836 Treaty Puts Michigan Tribes At Center Of Nestle Water Bid"

"TRAVERSE CITY, MI -- Native American tribes with treaty rights to natural resources north of Grand Rapids are quietly coordinating with Michigan officials who are deciding whether to let Nestle Waters North America extract more spring water from trout stream headwaters where the tribes have inland fishing rights.

According to state officials, tribes in the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority (CORA) have met with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, other regulatory agencies and Gov. Rick Snyder's liaison three times since MLive revealed in October that Nestle was asking permission to pump more water.

The tribes are getting monthly briefings on the application review as a government-to-government courtesy and are asking to get an early look at technical and scientific documentation in support of a final permitting decision."

Garret Ellison reports for the Grand Rapids Press June 6, 2017.