Bottled water operations begin at First Quality

LOCK HAVEN - First Quality Water and Beverage is up and running... with the first bottles of water expected to hit store shelves soon.

The company, which is the latest subsidiary of First Quality Products, started producing the first bottles of water at its Lock Haven plant a few weeks ago, Clinton County Economic Partnership President and CEO Mike Flanagan said.

The new bottled water has been made available for sale to First Quality's local employees, who number about 1,300, Flanagan said. It should be on local store shelves in the near future, he said.

Although company officials have said the water would be drawn from nearby Bald Eagle Creek, the bottles purchased by employees do not list a water source on the label.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commissioner last year approved the company's plans to withdraw an additional two million gallons of water daily from the creek for the bottled-water operations.

The company plans to use 1.9 million gallons, with the rest returned to the creek.

The water is pumped from the creek and purified using sand and carbon filtration and reverse osmosis.

Minerals are then added for taste.

The bottle lists the added ingredients as magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride and salt.

When the beverage does hit the store shelves, it will be under a few different brand names, Flanagan said. He could not list them.

The company also plans a 100-megawatt co-generation plant at the Lock Haven site to dry the paper towels and toilet paper manufactured at the facility, along with heating the building.

SRBC last year approved the water withdrawal application for the co-generation plant, however, the state Department of Environmental Protection also needs to sign off.

The two new projects would bring an estimated average water withdrawal of 9.7 million gallons per day from Bald Eagle Creek, but company officials have said most of that water would be returned, after treatment at a plant on site.

First Quality Water and Beverage brings to 10 the number of subsidiaries under the First Quality Enterprises Inc. banner

According to its Web site, First Quality Baby Products and First Quality Retail Services were added in 2008.

First Quality Baby Products began production in Lewistown last year with high-quality baby diapers and youth training pants.

First Quality Retail Services became part of the First Quality family of companies in April 2008 with the acquisition of Covidien Ltd.'s Retail Products business, formerly know as Tyco Healthcare Retail Group, the Web site reports.

Other divisions under the First Quality name are First Quality Enterprises, First Quality Hygienic, First Quality International, First Quality Nonwovens, First Quality Products, First Quality Tissue and Nutek Disposables.

In Clinton County, First Quality has plants in McElhattan and Lock Haven and purchased a 50-acre plot of land near the Lamar Township Business Park behind the Central Pennsylvania Auto Auction in 2007.