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According to the Maine DEP, groundwater and surface water levels haven’t dropped low enough to require a reduction in water withdrawals.
POLAND, Maine — Since mid-August, Maine has been in a drought. Months later, the entire state is still in some form of a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Recently, the progressive nonprofit media organization More Perfect Union reported it found evidence that Poland Spring, the Maine-based bottling company, is pumping more water from springs than ever before, despite the drought and claiming it had cut back.
“There was real frustration that I heard from people about what Poland Spring is doing, and especially during a drought," Paul Blest, a producer for More Perfect Union, told NEWS CENTER Maine.
Blest said he looked at several years of reports and found Poland Spring had been increasing the amount of water it was pumping in Fryeburg and Denmark.
NEWS CENTER Maine independently reviewed water withdrawal records from Poland Spring and local municipalities.
In Fryeburg, data show in 2025 that during the drought Poland Spring withdrew 12.8 million gallons of water in August, then 12.2 million gallons in September, and 10.7 million gallons in October, which is a 28 percent increase compared to the same time period last year, according to 2024 records.
In Denmark, withdrawals rose by roughly 8 percent over the same period but decreased in Hollis by 13 percent.
"We withdraw only an amount of water that a particular spring can sustainably support," Poland Spring/Primo Brands said in a statement. "Attention to the conditions of our state and compliance with our local permits is always a priority. In response to recent questions on this topic, independent licensed professionals have verified that Poland Spring withdrawals have not had an adverse impact on our neighbors, wetlands, groundwater, surface water, or any other local resources."
Looking at month-to-month withdrawals in Denmark during the drought, Poland Spring took 8.1 million gallons this August, 7 million in September, and then 7.9 million gallons in October.
When asked why the company decreased and then increased the water it was withdrawing from the Denmark spring during a drought, Poland Spring/Primo Brands said this: "During periods of drought, we monitor short-term forecasts daily, using the National Weather Service and drought forecast tools, and increase monitoring of water levels at our springs. When conditions become dry, we adjust and balance our water collection from our network of geographically diverse spring water sources across the state. As a result, in Denmark, and at our other spring sources, our water use may fluctuate month to month but is always managed for sustainability."
During this year, as Maine experiences a drought, Poland Spring said its overall water withdrawals this year are comparable to last year.
"Water withdrawals in 2024 and 2025 are in the same range, with the withdrawal in 2025 being slightly lower," the company said. "In response to 2025 drought conditions, Poland Spring sourced water from springs across a wider geographic area as part of its dedication to sustainable water use."
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection provides the permits for Poland Spring. The department's spokesperson said in a statement that permitting standards ensure that groundwater extraction operations won't have negative effects on state waters and water drawn from private wells.
In a statement, the spokesperson added this: "The Department would only require a reduction in withdrawals if ground water and surface water 'action levels' have been reached, which are established through DEP permit conditions, Such action levels have not been reached. In early October, Poland Spring notified the Department that they are voluntarily reducing production in Kingfield, Hollis, and Fryeburg as a precautionary measure, to help ensure action levels are not reached."
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