A Beautiful Summer Day on Mousam Lake, Shapleigh, Maine
by Leigh Macmillen Hayes
Every Maine lakefront property owner should have this book on his/her bookshelf. From Ground Water to Grass Roots: Two Small Towns–One Large Corporation, by Walter Hampton Baily.
Two small towns in southern Maine fought Nestlé Waters in a battle being played out across the state as rural communities try to assert control over water extraction.
In his book, From Ground Water to Grass Roots, published by Xlibris in 2013, Walter Hampton Baily, paints a comprehensive picture of how a group of citizens from Shapleigh and Newfield joined forces and through education, research and perseverance, fought and won against this corporate giant.

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Beginning with a chapter entitled “Water Extractor on Our Doorsteps,” the book chronicles the process from an initial meeting Baily had with two concerned citizens, through the formation of a grass roots group called Protecting Our Water and Wildlife Resources (POWWR) to the highs and lows of fighting the local water war. Concerned citizens developed knowledge and engaged in the civic process in order to advocate for the protection of the aquifer beneath their communities. The residents also worried about the waste of plastic bottles and the heavy tanker trucks that would travel their roads at all hours of the day and night.
Baily wrote the book because he and a number of people in the POWWR group felt when they finished that they had an important story to share with others who may face this same corporation or another. “There were a wide range of reasons to tell the story and show similarities with what we experienced.” says Baily. “I wanted to show how this was comparable with what happened elsewhere. We believe that water shouldn’t be sold to the highest bidder. Everyone has a right to water.”
Organized in an easy-to-read format, From Ground Water to Grass Roots flows from one topic to the next. Each chapter begins with a quote and addresses a new aspect of the process. The book is 200 pages long and has 90 footnotes. “I was very careful,” says Baily, “about references and documented everything that is included. It took me two and a half years to write. At the end, I needed to make sure it was consistent, so there were lots of revisions.”
Equally important as the story Baily tells, is the number of appendixes he included to provide readers with resources as they develop water extraction ordinances in their own towns. The following are some of the ten appendix topics: Shapleigh Water Rights and Local Self-Government Warrant Article; Lawsuits Against Nestle Waters North America, Inc.; Large-Scale Water Extraction in Maine Question-And-Answer Flyer; Maine Should Tax Bottled Water; and Challenge Corporate Control of Water.
As his biography states on the back of the book, “Walter H. Baily was a social worker throughout his career in mental health, public health, social planning and children’s services. He and his wife, Thelma Falk Baily, also a social worker, collaborated for many years on research and training projects around the country. Baily, who holds a doctorate, has two sons and a daughter and two grandchildren. His commitment to human services has expanded to include environmental protection and now, in his eighties, he lives on an old farm and cares for his family’s sustainably-managed forest.” This is Baily’s third book.
From Ground Water to Grass Roots by Walter Hampton Baily is available through your local independent bookseller or Amazon.com for $19.99.
To learn more about lakefront properties for sale on Mousam Lake in Shapleigh, Maine, click on the green box above.
To learn more about the Shapleigh area, check out these blog links.
Mousam Lake in Southern Maine – Perfect for Boaters, Anglers and Vacationers
Lakeside Sport & Marine On Mousam Lake, Shapleigh, Maine Meets Your Boating Needs