PORTLAND -- About 50 people turned out for an anti-bottled water protest in Tommy's Park in downtown Portland this afternoon.

The protest was mostly aimed at Poland Springs, which has met resistance in several York County towns this summer after proposing possible drilling on town-owned land.

Other speakers brought up anti-free-trade sentiments and urged people to drink tap water instead of any bottled water.

Anti-bottled water protesters emphasized that Poland Spring is a subsidiary of Nestle Waters North America. Its corporate parent is based in Switzerland.

Organizer Jamilla El Shafei, of Save our Water, urged people to "say 'no' to the corporate takeover of our natural resources."

Poland Springs spokesman Tom Brennan released a statement today saying the company is creating jobs and is environmentally responsible.

"To Maine people who know about our economic development in rural parts of the state and our environmental and sustainability practices, these protests just don't make sense" Brennan wrote in an e-mail.

Shapleigh resident Mary Taylor told the crowd she was hopeful a water extraction moratorium would be passed at a special town meeting this Saturday.

"It seems someone wants to steal that water from us," she said. "I hope we stop them cold. We have to say no to Nestle."

Among the speakers' concerns are global water privatization, how much oil is used in the production of plastic bottles and transportation of bottled water, and the quality of bottled water compared to tap water.

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