Nestlé Waters North America have announced that a two-year, $79 million expansion of its Nestlé Pure Life East bottling facility in Breinigsville, PA is complete.

With the addition of nearly 50 employees to operate three new, high-speed bottling lines, the project represents a significant investment in the company’s $354 million Lehigh Valley Campus.

“Nestlé Waters is proud to be an active member of the Lehigh Valley community - both as an employer and a community partner,” said Nestlé Waters Plant Manager Mike Franceschetti. “Our decision to continue investing in the Lehigh Valley underscores our long-term commitment to the region, and we look forward to continued growth in the years ahead.”

“Nestlé Waters’ continued commitment to the Lehigh Valley is demonstrated by its consistent growth and this latest addition of nearly 50 jobs validates the key role the company plays in the Valley’s manufacturing sector,” said Tony Lannelli, CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Nestlé Pure Life and Deer Park Brand Natural Spring Water products are distributed from the Breinigsville facility to major retail and grocery customers throughout Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic.

“The growth of our Nestlé Pure Life bottling facility is being driven by overwhelming consumer demand for healthier beverage options,” said Tara Carraro, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Nestlé Waters North America. “We are proud of the role our products play in helping consumers achieve healthier lifestyles.”

Clean Drinking Water More Important to Americans than Clean Air
Elsewhere, two in three Americans believe their community’s clean drinking water is at risk, according to a recent study.

Access to clean drinking water and the nation’s water infrastructure are major concerns for Americans across the country, according to “Perspectives on America’s Water,” study. A total of 6,699 American adults shared their views on water-related topics in this comprehensive online study conducted on behalf of Nestlé Waters North America by the global market research firm PSB in May 2017. The study, the first of its kind to gather both the opinions of the US general population and those of experts in the field, found that water is viewed as the most important natural resource in Americans’ daily lives, more so even than clean air (87 percent compared to 81 percent). Yet, 61 percent of American consumers and 66 percent of experts characterized water problems as a crisis or major issue for the US.

The study found that two in three Americans (66 percent) believe their own community’s clean drinking water is at risk, while 59 percent say a major overhaul of U.S. water infrastructure is needed to avoid that possibility. City-dwellers are especially likely to fear their community’s clean drinking water is at risk (70 percent versus 63 percent in rural areas). There is almost universal agreement (96 percent) that if the United States does not proactively invest in the country’s water infrastructure system now, it will end up costing more in the long run.

“The takeaways from this study are clear to us: Americans care deeply about the state of their drinking water, and they believe investments in infrastructure and innovation are needed now,” said Nelson Switzer, Chief Sustainability Officer at Nestlé Waters North America. “It’s our hope that these insights will accelerate the pace of conversation and jump-start concrete actions needed to address our shared water challenges. At Nestlè Waters we believe that access to safe and secure drinking water is a fundamental human right and we know we all have a role, responsibility and obligation to contribute to making this a reality.”