'Nationally known' water bottling company backs out of Conroe deal

A "nationally known" water bottling company that purchased a tract of land in Conroe Park North has backed out, city officials said.

The company was not officially named but is believed to have been Niagara Bottling, according to previous reporting from Community Impact Newspaper.

Danielle Scheiner, executive director of the Conroe Economic Development Council, confirmed in an email that the client withdrew its purchase and sale agreement with CIDC as well as withdrew its application for a tax abatement from Montgomery County.

Although it is not clear why the company withdrew, the proposal—which was dubbed Project Hydrate—had drawn concern from residents and some city officials who were worried about the potential effects on the region's groundwater resources and upcoming regulatory decisions. The company would have pumped 650,000 gallons a day with the possibility of eventually reaching 1.95 million gallons per day.

Council members had deferred making a decision on approving the lease at an April 22 city council meeting to allow more time to make a decision.

“I think this is wrong for Conroe,” Council Member Duke Coon said April 22. “I hope this will be brought back immediately to council and killed right in its tracks.”

The proposal was dropped before the next council sessions, which are slated for May 12 and 13.