The federal government has backed up California state regulators by ordering the company that bottles Arrowhead water to stop drawing from the San Bernardino Mountains.
Although BlueTriton Brands draws from mountain springs that have been used for bottled water since 1906, environmentalists have argued the removal of that water harms wildlife, especially Strawberry Creek.
About a year ago, The California Water Resources Control Board ordered BlueTriton to stop using the water, which flows through public lands like the San Bernardino National Forest.
On Wednesday, The Los Angeles Times reported that the US Forest Service has denied BlueTriton permission to extract water from San Bernardino Mountain springs.
While environmentalists cheer, BlueTriton released a statement to the Times denying the decision, claiming it was “not supported by the facts.”
BlueTriton Brands and its predecessors “have operated continuously under a series of special use permits for nearly a century,” the company told the Times in an email.
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