Map produced by The Jefferson County Foundation
A proposed water bottling plant in Jefferson County WV is drawing heavy opposition from citizens and nonprofit organizations.
Mountain Pure, LLC, a project of Sidewinder Enterprises, LLC, is developing a 13-acre water bottling facility in Middleway, West Virginia. The proposed site is located at 1 Grace Street in Middleway, Jefferson County. Sidewinder Enterprises LLC, based in California, proposes to repurpose the old 3M factory on Grace Street in Middleway WV near Kearneysville as a facility for bottling its “Mountain Pure” drinking water.
The facility aims to collaborate with a third-party distributor to provide clean spring water, with goals of creating local jobs, generating tax revenue, and promoting economic prosperity in Jefferson County and the broader Appalachian region. The plant plans to include packaging lines and large-capacity water storage tanks, emphasizing eco-friendly containers to reduce its carbon footprint.
The site has a history of industrial use, previously occupied by the Berkeley Woolen Company and later converted by 3M into a photographic equipment facility. It has been vacant since 2006, with ownership changing hands multiple times before Sidewinder Enterprises, LLC, acquired it in 2021 to establish Mountain Pure.
The next public meeting related to the proposal takes place at the Jefferson County Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. The meeting will take place at 7:00 PM in the County Commission meeting room, located in the lower level of the Charles Town Library at 200 East Washington Street, Charles Town WV. Commissioners will review possible changes to the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
For the most current information, please refer to the Jefferson County Planning Commission’s official website or contact their office directly.
An analysis of the bottling plant proposal and the county’s 2045 comprehensive plan draft appear on the website of the Jefferson County Foundation.
Concerns raised at the November 12, 2024 public hearing in Charles Town include the potential for unacceptable withdrawal rates of groundwater, increased industrial traffic, and the lack of an up-to-date comprehensive county water supply study for Jefferson County. Speaking at the November hearing in opposition were over 50 residents plus representatives of the Jefferson County Foundation and the West Virginia Rivers Coalition.
Additonal Resource and Links:
November 13, 2024 article re. Jefferson County Planning Commission’s vote to send back the Mountain Pure application by Sidewinder Enterprises LLCFrom The Journal, Martinsburg WV:
Jefferson County Foundation website:
Website of the Jefferson County Foundation, that educates and advocates for:
- Effective and accountable government
- Sustainable development
- Protection of health, heritage, and the environment
Website of the Jefferson County Planning Commission
Jefferson County Foundation’s newer Facebook page (the old one is also still online, which is confusing):
West Virginia Rivers Coalition website
The West Virginia Rivers Coalition is a statewide organization that strives to protect West Virginia’s waters:
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.