Lawsuit Alleges Poland Spring Water Is Not From Springs At All

A lawsuit alleges that "not one drop" of spring water from the Maine woods
is in Poland Spring Water. Photo: Shutterstock

Poland Spring water is committing “colossal fraud” by leading customers to believe its water actually comes from springs, alleges a lawsuit.

The complaint, filed August 22 in federal court in Connecticut, alleges that Nestle Waters North America, Poland Spring’s parent company, is bottling ground water and selling it as water sourced directly from springs.

“Not one drop of Poland Spring Water emanates from a water source that complies with the Food and Drug Administration definition of ‘spring water,’” the complaint states.

“To consumers, ‘spring water’ from a naturally occurring spring signifies purity and high quality and commands a premium price compared to Defendant’s non-spring drinking water products or filtered tap water,” the lawsuit adds. “To illicitly capture that premium, Defendant, since it began selling the Poland Spring brand in 1993, has bottled common groundwater and illegally mislabeled it as ‘100% Natural Spring Water.’”

The lawsuit seeks class-action status on behalf of all those affected. Eleven plaintiffs, led by Mark J. Patane, who said he has spent hundreds of dollars buying Poland Spring water, are involved in the suit.

“Had he known that Poland Spring Water was ordinary groundwater,” the complaint states, “he would have consumed lower cost bottled water products or filtered tap water.”

According to the Food and Drug Administration, spring water must come from an underground source and flow naturally to the earth’s surface. But, it turns out, spring water doesn’t have to be collected at a spring; it can also be pumped from a hole in the ground.

For its part, Nestle Waters North America insists that its water meets all federal and state guidelines for spring water. A spokeswoman for the company said in an emailed statement, “Poland Spring is 100 percent spring water. The claims made in the lawsuit are without merit and an obvious attempt to manipulate the legal system for personal gain.”

“We remain highly confident in our legal position,” the statement also says.

In 2003, Nestle Waters settled lawsuit claiming Poland Spring’s water was not sourced deep in the Maine woods. The company agreed to pay $10 million to charity as its penalty.