The Fryeburg Water Company is a privately owned

utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosoph ...

in the town of

Fryeburg, Maine Fryeburg is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,369 at the 2020 census. Fryeburg is home to Fryeburg Academy, a semi-private preparatory school, and the International Musical Arts Institute. The town is also s ...

. The water company operates Evergreen Spring, which provides a sizable amount of the water used by

Poland Spring Poland Spring is a brand of bottled water, produced in Poland, Maine. It is named after the original natural spring in the town of Poland, Maine it was drawn from. Today it is a subsidiary of BlueTriton Brands, formerly Nestlé Waters North A ...

Controversy

The Fryeburg Water Company was ordered by the New Hampshire Utilities Commission (NHPUC) to provide the residents of

East Conway, New Hampshire East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

with

bottled water Bottled water is drinking water (e.g., well water, distilled water, mineral water, or spring water) packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not. Sizes range from small single serving bottles to la ...

(incidentally, the water that the utility sold to the Nestlé subsidiary) until the company fixed a pipeline that brought water from the spring in

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

to the homes in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

. The Fryeburg Water Co. announced that they would fix it in the future, probably in 2008. Shortly after, they announced the sale of the pipeline to another company, which would probably not fix it until 2009 or 2010. That company has taken over the responsibility of providing water to the area's residents. In 2005, the town of Fryeburg voted to buy the Fryeburg Water Co. and establish a publicly owned water district. In 2014, the Maine Public Utilities Commission voted to allow Fryeburg to sell the town's water to Poland Spring.

References

{{reflist Companies based in Maine Fryeburg, Maine Water companies of the United States