Drought-hit California orders Nestl to stop pumping millions of gallons of water

[PoliticAverse]

California water officials have moved to stop Nestlé from siphoning millions of gallons of water out of California’s San Bernardino forest, which it bottles and sells as Arrowhead brand water, as drought conditions worsen across the state.

The draft cease-and-desist order, which still requires approval from the California Water Resources Control Board, is the latest development in a protracted battle between the bottled water company and local environmentalists, who for years have accused Nestlé of draining water supplies at the expense of local communities and ecosystems.

Nestlé has maintained that its rights to California spring water dates back to 1865. But a 2017 investigation found that Nestlé was taking far more than its share. Last year the company drew out about 58m gallons, far surpassing the 2.3m gallons per year it could validly claim.

Nestlé has sucked up, on average, 25 times as much water as it may have a right to, according to the Story of Stuff Project, an environmental group that has been fighting to stop the bottled water company’s pumping in California for years.

Read the rest at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/27/california-nestle-water-san-bernardino-forest-drought?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[PortTack]

1. Thank the gods! Nestle has been doing that for years

[SWBTATTReg]

2. On again, off again...this seems to go around and around...I seem to read something on this years...

ago. I'm surprised that the state has allowed such a drain on water, being that it's a scarce commodity in CA. Also, what surprises me the most is that why does Nestle still mess w/ having its facilities in a water scarce environment when it could simply move its facilities to where the resources are?

[FoxNewsSucks]

3. They're probably run by out-of-state republicon executives,

and like the chance to be screwing CA over

[SWBTATTReg]

4. Ha ha heh...I laugh but sadly perhaps you could be right (repugs pushing their damn buttons etc.)

[stopdiggin]

5. yeah. why CA?

more water (and a heck of a lot less hassle) in other areas.

(hope they shut this down. long, long past time that -- all jurisdictions -- started getting smarter about water policy.)

[SWBTATTReg]

7. Exactly! Me thinks that they are hanging onto their so called freebie water for way too long...

Perhaps time for a revamp in their oper. procedures/methods? Such a water right should have been looked at (especially since they seem to abusing the actual amounts they're withdrawing) and ruled invalid.

When people have to pay for water at more realistic rates (vs. free with what they have), they become far more conservative in their water consumption, more efficient in using the limited water resources they have. I'm surprised that this has continued for so long, but then again, CA is (and other western states) are totally different when it comes to water (vs. what we have in Missouri, where water is usually too much at times during the year).

Personally, I've always wondered why there isn't a national transport system for water, that is, when floods threaten in one region of the Country, open some giant pipelines and ship / direct water in areas of excess to areas of need, have huge holding ponds all of the way to the West from the midwest (where water is abundant)...sure it may cost money, but hasn't CA and other western states spent untold quantities of money already just on water? I know that this is far-fetched and water rights are a complicated issue, not for just decades but literally hundreds of years.

[Dustlawyer]

8. It is called campaign donations giving them the power to take water they don't have a right to.

Nestle has bought up water rights all over the world. I sincerely doubt they have paid what they should have anywhere. They have really tied up water in South America!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. Goddamn Nestle for their greedy and illegal actions with OUR WATER. n/t