Nestlé's attempt to bypass a public input process on their bid to suck water from the Columbia Gorge was thwarted on Friday when the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), at Governor Kate Brown's request, pulled its application for a water swap that would have allowed Nestlé to proceed with building a water bottling plant at Cascade Locks. But even that development isn't stopping a group of Hood River County residents who want to make it illegal for the mega corporation to get their water.

The Local Water Alliance last month launched a campaign to gather enough signatures to get a measure on the Hood River County ballot that would not only stop Nestlé, but also make it illegal for other water bottling operations to set up shop in the county.

"We appreciate her action and we understand why Nestlé wants to avoid a public input process," says Local Water Alliance organizer Aurora del Val. "But come elections day, Hood River voters are planning to give Nestlé a public interest review of its own."

On Friday, Nov. 6, the Oregonian reported that Brown had sent a letter to ODFW Director Curt Melcher asking that the department pull its application from the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) that would have allowed the agency to trade its water rights to Oxbow Springs for an equal right to the city of Cascade Locks' municipal water supply. Cascade Locks planned to sell the swapped water to Nestlé, which, in turn, would bottle and sell it out of the area.

Environmental activists have been against the proposal since Nestlé set its sights on the pristine spring water several years ago. Their disdain for the program has only increased as Oregon continues to experience record-setting droughts, even in such historically rainy places as Hood River County.

In July, Brown added Hood River County to the state's list of areas experiencing a drought emergency. The same month, Brown declared July "Water Awareness Month," and issued a statement asking "all Oregonians to do their part to use water wisely."

But still, the governor refused to take a stand on the Nestlé/Cascade Locks issue. At the time, Chris Pair, Brown's press secretary, told the Mercury that opponents of the water swap should appeal to Cascade Locks to squelch the project and said Brown's role "is fairly limited."

Last week, though, Brown changed her mind. When asked why, Kristen Grainger, the governor's communications director, responded that the requests come as evidence of Brown's "commitment to transparency and resiliency in the face of global climate change."

"Oregon just experienced record-setting drought, record low snowpack, record high temperatures, and the worst wildfire season in recent memory—an excellent impetus to open up the water rights exchange process to public scrutiny," Grainger wrote in an email. "And while that is going on, evaluate state policies that regulate public water rights to make sure they are appropriate in the context of a changing climate."

Julia DeGraw, northwest organizer for Food and Water Watch, called Brown's reversal a "game changer."

"She's basically saying this is her issue and is proof that it is the governor's problem, considering it's state-owned water," DeGraw says. "Part of what is changing her mind is that tribes are getting involved and people who live in rural Oregon areas are getting angry and are actually holding her to account."