California regulators have ordered Arrowhead bottled water to stop using some natural springs in the San Bernardino National Forest.
California regulators on Tuesday ordered the company that owns Arrowhead bottled water to stop using some of the natural springs it has relied on for more than a century, a victory for community groups who have said for years that the practice has drained an important creek that is a habitat for wildlife and helps protect the area from wildfires.
"I understand a huge amount of money and business is at stake," board member Laurel Firestone said."It also is important for us that no matter how much money is involved that we are going to ensure that the laws of our state are upheld and that they apply to everybody." And it's not the first challenge against bottled water companies, either from consumer advocates or groups fighting against plastic waste. The U.S. Interior Department said earlier this year it would phase out the sale of all plastic water bottles in national parks. Poland Springs, also owned by BlueTriton, has faced lawsuits claiming its water doesn't come from a spring.
Beyond those arguments, BlueTriton's lawyers spent most of Tuesday's hearing arguing California regulators don't have the power to tell them what to do. They said the company actually takes water that is underground and hasn't reached the surface. That's an important distinction because the State Water Resources Control Board does not have the authority to regulate certain types of groundwater.
The vote was a triumph for a small band of community residents who have been fighting the company for years. They include Amanda Frye, a resident of Redlands who has spent countless hours combing through documents to investigate the case. She said when hiking the mountain, she can see BlueTriton's pipes gushing with water as they run along the dry bed of Strawberry Creek.
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