FRYEBURG, Maine - Maine's supreme court has upheld regulatory approval of a contract allowing Fryeburg Water Co. to sell water to the parent company of Poland Springs.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission approved the contract between the privately owned utility and Nestle Waters after concluding the deal could benefit ratepayers.
In its decision, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court unanimously ruled Thursday that there was no abuse of discretion or violation of statutory provision.
The 2014 decision was made by three retired judges after all three PUC members recused themselves.
Nisha Swinton from Food & Water Watch, which sued, said the decision "paves the way for a private corporation to profit from a vital public resource for decades to come.'' The contract runs for 25 years. Renewals could make it 45 years.