Nestlé Told It Doesn't Have Permits To Bottle CA Water

SAN BERNARDINO, CA -- Food and drink company Nestlé was told this week that it doesn't have the proper permits to bottle water from the San Bernardino National Forest. California's Water Resources Control Board told the Swiss company that an investigation showed "the diversion or use of water exceeding 26 acre-fee per annum (AFA) and, accordingly, any diversions in excess of that amount may be unauthorized."

In a letter, the state said said it began an investigation after receiving complaints dating back to April 2015. Its investigation found that the company's "claim to a pre-1914 water right that originates from an 1865 possessory claim by David Noble Smith is limited to riparian uses and is not valid for Nestlé’s current appropriative diversion and use of water from the San Bernardino National Forest."

The letter also states, "while Nestlé may be able to claim a valid basis of right to some water in Strawberry Canyon, a significant portion of the water currently diverted by Nestlé appears to be diverted without a valid basis of right."

State staff asked that the company immediately cease diversions.

The company is the maker of Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water, a popular water company that obtains its water from California, Nevada and Utah.

--FILE - In this July, 7, 2004, file photo, a sign at the entrance to the Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water Company bottling plant, owned by Swiss conglomerate Nestle, on the Morongo Indian Reservation near Cabazon, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)