Coca-Cola is facing new allegations in Colombia after reports that the company cemented over natural springs in La Calera, a municipality near Bogota, as part of its decades-long water concession. The revelations have sparked outrage among residents and environmental defenders who accuse the multinational of monopolizing a vital public resource at the expense of local communities.
Representative Maria del Mar Pizarro has been leading the charge against the company, denouncing what she calls “illegal exploitation” of seven springs in the Santa Elena area of La Calera. According to her, the springs have been partially sealed with layers of cement and metal sheets, a practice prohibited by Colombia’s National Code of Natural Resources.
New accusations against Coca-Cola in Colombia over water supply
Coca-Cola, operating under names such as Indega, Indegal, and Femsa, first obtained a water concession in La Calera in 1983. That license, valid for ten years, expired in 1993, but the company continued extracting water until the concession was formally renewed in 1996. It remained valid until 2006.
Between 2006 and 2014, the company reportedly continued operations without authorization, a situation documented by the regional environmental authority, the Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca (CAR). In 2014, Coca-Cola was granted a new concession, which runs until 2024. Despite clear legal limits—Colombian law prohibits extending water concessions beyond ten years—the CAR is now evaluating a further extension until 2025.
“This procedure is clearly illegal and disregards the right to water of more than 12,000 residents who depend on the San Lorenzo stream,” Pizarro said.
Local communities struggle with water rationing
While Coca-Cola bottles and sells spring water from La Calera, residents face water scarcity. In February 2024, the municipality imposed rationing after the San Lorenzo stream’s flow dropped to alarming levels. Locals blame overexploitation of the springs that feed the stream, claiming the company’s operations threaten their access to potable water.
Environmental organizations, including the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective (Cajar), have filed formal complaints, warning that the case sets a dangerous precedent: “Public water resources cannot be indefinitely captured by a private company without proper environmental studies and community participation,” one statement read.
Colombia’s Maria Pizarro against Coca-Cola
Pizarro has demanded that the CAR suspend Coca-Cola’s extension request and instead open a new concession process, with updated hydrological studies and citizen participation. She stressed the need for conservation, restoration, and recovery of the seven springs.
“Defending water is defending life,” she declared. “This is not just about one company—it is about safeguarding our most vital resource in a time of climate change and mounting pressure on ecosystems.”
Coca-Cola FEMSA has previously defended its operations, insisting it uses water responsibly. In 2023, at an environmental summit organized by the CAR, Johana Cerpa, then Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs, stated: “Our goal by 2030 is to return to nature the same amount of water we use to make our products.”
Yet independent investigations continue to question these claims. A recent report by investigative outlet Vorágine confirmed that Coca-Cola is authorized to extract 3.23 liters per second from seven springs under its current concession—water volumes that local communities say they desperately need.
The controversy in La Calera is not unique. In 2021, Vorágine documented similar disputes in Sesquilé (Cundinamarca) and Caloto (Cauca), where Postobón bottling plants also extracted hundreds of millions of liters annually while neighboring communities faced shortages.
For now, La Calera’s residents await a decision from the CAR that could determine whether Coca-Cola maintains control of the springs it has tapped for more than 40 years—or whether the water will finally return to the people who depend on it.
Related: Coca-Cola Colombia Awaits Ruling on Rights to Use Water from La Calera.