California regulators order Arrowhead bottled water to stop drawing from some mountain springs

https://apnews.com/article/california-arrowhead-bottled-water-san-bernardino-bluetriton-b32b644ce0632c6da6b38e3fc9daebf6

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.

Arrowhead bottled water traces its roots to a hotel at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains that first opened in 1885 and began selling bottled spring water from its basement in 1906. But environmental and community groups say the company has never had permission to take water from the springs, which flow through the San Bernardino National Forest on public lands.

On Tuesday, after eight years of wrangling that included dozens of hearings, the State Water Resources Control Board agreed that BlueTriton — the company that owns the Arrowhead brand — does not have permission to use the water and ordered them to stop. The order does not ban the company from taking any water from the mountain, but it significantly reduces how much it can take.

This is needed.