In a decision that could end a years-long battle over commercial extraction of water from public lands, the U.S. Forest Service has ordered the company that sells Arrowhead bottled water to shut down a pipeline and other infrastructure it uses to collect and transport water from springs in the San Bernardino Mountains.
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State officials determined last year that the company has been unlawfully diverting much of the water without valid water rights — agreeing with Frye and others, who had questioned the company’s claims and presented historical documents. The State Water Resources Control Board voted to order the company to halt its “unauthorized diversions” of water. But BlueTriton Brands sued to challenge that decision, arguing the process was rife with problems.
In the July Forest Service letter, Nobles said the company was repeatedly asked to provide “additional information necessary to assure compliance with BlueTriton’s existing permit” but that the requests were “consistently left unanswered.”
Nobles said that under the regulations, he may consider whether the water used exceeds the “needs of forest resources.”
He also said that while the company had said in its application that the water would go for bottled water, its reports showed that 94% to 98% of the amount of water diverted monthly was delivered to the old hotel property for “undisclosed purposes,” and that “for months BlueTriton has indicated it has bottled none of the water taken,” while also significantly increasing the volumes extracted.
“This increase represents significantly more water than has ever been delivered previously,” Nobles wrote. “The hotel and conference facility on the property is not operating, and there is no explanation of where the millions of gallons of water per month are going.”
The article says “The hotel and conference facility on the property is not operating”. They’ve been building on the site since the late 1800’s, the current hotel was built in 1939, and Wikipedia says “In March of 1992, the resort went for sale with no buyers. […] The resort was vacant till sold to San Manuel in 2017.”
How about a leak? The property has over 130 years of buildings being put up, burnt down, and demolished; the current building had 25 years of neglect and isn’t even currently being used. How about burst waterpipes? Doesn’t even have to be one at the current hotel, could be one from the old resort that everyone’s forgotten about. Or could be one under the current hotel that’s in the process of making a massive sinkhole. That’s my guess.
Regardless, I’m glad of this. The whole private companies making money off of public resources really bothers me.
You think millions of gallons are being leaked through broken pipes? That 98% of the millions of gallons water that they’re sending out is just leaking out of pipes? Really? And that 2% is still getting through for bottled water?
Sigh