Public Hearing on Middleway Bottling Plant Postponed Amid Legal Concerns
Citizens win first round versus bottlers
The Shepherdstown Chronicle | Thursday, January 2, 2025
By Staff
On December 16, a public hearing on the Middleway bottling plant proposal was postponed due to legal concerns over insufficient public notice. Local advocacy from organizations like the Jefferson County Foundation emphasizes the need for transparency among governing bodies. As the proposed plant aims to extract 1.7 million gallons of groundwater daily, there are calls for scientific studies and design changes to minimize impacts on neighboring communities like Middleway. The developer, Sidewinder LLC, faces scrutiny regarding the plant’s size and the management of industrial traffic, reinforcing the importance of responsible development practices in the region, as highlighted by John Doyle in The Shepherdstown Chronicle.
