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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsthe EnvironmentMichiganEnvironmental PolicyResource ManagementGroundwaterBottled WaterStates: Michigan•••Started 4mos agoActive 2wks ago

Should Michigan ban private companies from extracting groundwater to sell as bottled water?

The Michigan Dept of Environment (EGLE) currently permits companies like BlueTriton (formerly Nestlé) to pump hundreds of gallons of groundwater per minute for a nominal administrative fee of just $200 per year. Critics argue this effectively gives away a public natural resource to a private corporation for profit, risking long-term damage to local stream ecosystems and trout populations. Proponents argue the withdrawals are science-based and sustainable, that companies have legal property rights to the water beneath their land, and that the bottling plants provide essential rural jobs. A 'Yes' vote supports banning commercial extraction to conserve the Great Lakes basin; a 'No' vote supports allowing it under current regulations.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 1.9k America voters.

64%
Yes
36%
No
51%
Yes
29%
No
7%
Yes, water is a public right, not a private commodity
3%
No, charge a fair extraction fee instead of a ban
6%
Yes, stop corporations from draining the Great Lakes
2%
No, property owners have a right to the water beneath their land
1%
No, banning it would kill local manufacturing jobs

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 1.9k America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 1.9k America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BDZ4YF8 from Michigan  answered…2wks2W

No, charge an extreme extraction fee instead of a ban.

 @BDYJ8FB from Michigan  answered…2wks2W

Yes, unless they are bottling and shipping from here in the state of Michigan

 @BDY38VX from Michigan  answered…2wks2W

If the water bottle is cheap and has no sketchy stuff to it then no, but if it does have sketchy stuff in it then yes, or if it just expensive bottles then yes

 @BDM8CV8 from Michigan  answered…1mo1MO

No but I think they should regulate it.

 @BD9RP3M from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

if they are taking to much or cause prombles then yes

 @BD73VSY from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

No but I feel like there should be a larger bill

 @BD54MYS from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

Property owners have a right to the water beneath their land, but there needs to be regulations to prevent the ecological effects of our lakes and environment.

 @BCV8ZJD from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

they should ban the exportation of the water. I'm fine with them extracting the groundwater to sell within the local watershed so that it returns to its source. taking it away from its source should be banned.

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Israeli Bombings Kill 2,300 In Lebanon in 3 weeks

Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.The Israeli military has ordered people living in more than a quarter of Lebanon to flee, according to a UN calculation, as its fight with the Iran-backed Shia militant group Hizbollah threatens to engulf the Mediterranean country.Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.More than 1mn people have fled their homes in Lebanon in under a month, according to its government, a dramatic forced movement of the population in a country of only about 5mn inhabitants with a land mass smaller than the US state of Connecticut. Israeli forces began a ground offensive in south Lebanon two weeks ago, in their fourth invasion of the country in under five decades. They had already destroyed large parts of the densely populated southern Beirut suburb where Hizbollah had its headquarters, and killed many top militant commanders in air strikes, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.Rema Jamous Imseis, Middle East director of UNHCR, told journalists in Geneva that “over 25 per cent of [Lebanon is] under a direct Israeli military evacuation order”. “People are heeding these calls to evacuate and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” she added, saying that 80 per cent of the shelters opened by the Lebanese government — mostly in schools — were now full.

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Based on 1.9k responses to this question.

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should Michigan ban private companies from extracting groundwater to sell as bottled water?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 22, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/poll/5548272280

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