Paulla McCarthy, a single Black mother from New York City, has made history by becoming the first Black woman in her state to own and run a spring water bottling plant. McCarthy’s business, YSS WaterWorks, is located in upstate New York and is operated by her nonprofit, the Youth Savings Society.
In October 2020, McCarthy took on a new challenge when she accepted an offer from an elderly couple to purchase their water plant and surrounding aquifer on 15 acres of land. With water becoming increasingly scarce on a global scale, it is projected to become more valuable than gold within the next 50 years. As a result, major water companies have offered her a hefty sum of $20 million for her property, but McCarthy remains resolute in her decision to keep it.
“I’m not going to sell. I want to change and move this narrative that we don’t own anything,” McCarthy told Earn Your Leisure. Her dedication to Black ownership in natural resources is admirable, and she is sure to continue making waves in the industry.
