Nestle pipes water from national forest, sparking protests.
Dressed in bright colors and holding homemade signs, they held hose posts for the rest of the afternoon, aiming to draw drivers’ attention to an effort to get Nestle Waters to stop pumping water out of the San Bernardino National Forest.
Local activist and organizer Glen Thompson said many people, including himself, were angry that while Nestle paid to run water pipes through the national forest, the company paid no fee for the water rights.
Jimi Sunderland, co-coordinator for local activist network Indivisible San Bernardino Mountains, said the issue was personal for her, as she lived and was raising her children in the area.
“The water is on National Forest Service land, it belongs to all people.
This is everyone in California’s water,” he said.
Nestle’s long pumped from the forrest Nestle Waters North America, the nation’s largest seller of bottled water, has long piped water out of the San Bernardino National Forest to produce Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water.
The issue prompted a federal lawsuit, an investigation of the company’s water rights claims by state regulators and a review of a Forest Service permit allowing the company to continue using its wells, pipelines and water collection tunnels in the forest.
The agency has yet to establish what the annual fee would be under the new permit.
Nestle says it collected about 32 million gallons of water from Arrowhead Springs in 2016.

Target accused of ‘price gouging’ in cyclone stricken Bowen.
Retail group Target have been accused of taking advantage of cyclone savaged communities after selling a 24-pack of bottled water for the exorbitant price of $72.
An image was posted to Facebook on Sunday displaying the advertised price in the Bowen Target Country store in north Queensland.
The company received a huge backlash online with most Facebook users declaring it an outrage.
The photo was taken at the Bowen store by Natalie Maher who accuses the store of price gouging.
“She informed me that no it is the correct price.
“Talk about price gauging us while we are in need.
Disgusting mongrels.
"I will refuse to shop at Target from now on."
The run on bottled water comes after Bowen residents were told to boil their tap water before drinking it due to possible traces of bacteria following cyclone Debbie.

Who’s the real April Fool?.
Since joining the programme, participating factories have seen a return on investment of more than 240 percent over three years.
Let’s, as they say, unpack this.
They "saved" water by not using it as if they had some right to use it.
This is not just false but stupid, as these companies sell products to consumers who probably have plenty of clothes.
The disappearance of those companies (and a permanent reduction in consumption) would not go noticed.
Let’s call it 1 billion liters per year and convert that amount into per year per person instead of per day (using their 50 liters/capita/day).
Now we have "enough water" for 54,975 people for a year.
Water services take money and good management.
Their 240 percent return on investment shows that this project is not about helping people get access to drinking water but saving money.

San Bernardino Mountain bottled water protest unites all ages in roadside picketing.
CRESTLINE >> Holding signs that said “Arrowhead Off My Mountain” and “Make Strawberry Canyon Great Again,” about 60 people Sunday protested Nestlé Waters North America’s controversial withdrawal of water from the San Bernardino Mountains.
The protestors were primarily mountain residents and students from the University of Redlands’ Young Progressives Demanding Action club.
“We love the environment and love the outdoors,” said Dawn Middleton, 61, of Lake Arrowhead, one of those protesting who said she was concerned about the effects of millions of gallons of water annually being withdrawn from remote Strawberry Canyon, a relatively lush area in the mountains which is known for diverse wildlife, including sensitive and endangered species.
From 1947 until 2015, nearly 4.3 billion gallons of spring water have been taken from 12 horizontal water collection pipes in West Strawberry Canyon, which is above San Bernardino, according to a recently released League of Women Voters’ position paper on a proposed renewal of Nestlé’s special use permit.
Nestlé is one of several large corporations to own rights to those wells and the Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water brand.
Much of the controversy about Nestlé’s water withdrawal pivots around the re-issuance of the permit that allows pipes and other equipment on the San Bernardino National Forest.
Nestlé pays $524 annually for the permit, which expired in 1988, Under U.S. Forest Service regulations, however, these kinds of permits stay in effect until they are renewed or denied.
Advertisement While previous meetings and rallies related to this withdrawal of water have drawn mostly mature participants, this one included the youthful faces of about 25 University of Redlands students.
“Socially, this is a really pressing issue.

Boil advisory remains for county water customers – bottled water program available.
A boil water advisory is still in effect for residents of Sugarloaf, according to the Shasta County Department of Public Works.
Last month, E. Coli was found in the well that serves the water system.
The advisory is in effect for the Sugarloaf water system, part of the County Service Areas.
The advisory has been in effect since March 18.
The county is working to upgrade the treatment system and lift the requirement.
In the meantime, state funds will be made available to provide bottled drinking water to customers meeting certain income and residential requirements, according to the Public Works Department.
In February, E. Coli was found in the untreated water from the well that serves the water system.
That includes boiling water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation.
Customers who would like to be considered for the bottled water service should contact the Shasta County Department of Public Works, CSA Division at (530) 225-5571.

Protest planned to target Nestlé water bottling operations in San Bernardino Mountains.
A diverse group of environmental activists, involved citizens, students and mountain residents are coming together for a planned protest Sunday afternoon against Nestlé Waters North America’s controversial water bottling operations in the San Bernardino National Forest.
In 2016, bottled water sales exceeded traditional soda sales for the first time in the United States, according to Beverage Marketing Corp., a research and consulting firm.
The protest is an offshoot of a Jan. 29 meeting in Twin Peaks of the League of Women Voters for the San Bernardino Area and the Rimforest-based Save Our Forest Association and one held the next day at San Bernardino Valley College, said Longville, who will be among those driving protesters from the high school to the empty lot.
Nestlé Waters North America says its Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water “has been sustainable bottled from the springs in Strawberry Canyon, in what is now the San Bernardino National Forest, for more than 121 years.” “We take our responsibility as a California water steward seriously and our ability to operate for more than a century points to our commitment to long-term sustainability,” said Christopher Rieck, a Nestlé Waters North America spokesman.
Loe’s statements and those of others prompted the group to look deeper into the issues, Mandell said.
After seeing several water collection sites on that March hike, U of R senior Maddie McNerthmey, 22, said, “I gained a better understanding about what this issue is about.” Much of the Nestlé controversy swirls around a special use permit, which Nestlé pays the Forest Service $524 annually for its piping and other hardware necessary for water extraction, under a permit which expired in 1988.
From 1947 until 2015, nearly 4.3 billion gallons of spring water have been taken from pipes in Strawberry Canyon, under several different ownerships of the Arrowhead bottled water brand, according to a recently released League of Women Voters position paper on a proposed renewal of Nestlé’s special use permit.
“We are very excited about the demonstration Sunday.
Officials with the State Water Resources Control Board have said an investigation into Nestlé’s ownership rights may be complete this month.

Wellington Water Watchers Say No to Bottled Water.
Over 4.7 million litres of water per day is pumped from wells located in Aberfoyle and Hillsburgh.
Well, it’s time people learn about the Nestle Triangle located in Wellington County, Ontario.
Over 4.7 million litres of water per day is pumped from wells located in Aberfoyle and Hillsburgh.
WWW is using the evening’s festivities to officially announce Waterstock, a celebration of water for life not profit, featuring celebrity chefs, musicians, artists, local wineries and breweries, and plenty of free, clean, locally sourced water available from onsite taps and fountains.
Waterstock will be celebrated at Bela Farm in Hillsburgh, Ontario from noon to 5 pm.
WWW formed ten years ago in Guelph, the largest Canadian city completely reliant on groundwater for its water supply.
The Nestle bottling plant in Aberfoyle and the City of Guelph both draw their water from the same aquifer.
According to Mike Nagy, Chair of WWW, "Since the beginning time we have not produced one more molecule of water and we never will.
It takes two bottles of water and a quarter bottle of oil to produce one bottle of bottled water.

Paris Hilton Is Taking a Stand Against Bottled Water: ‘Think How Stupid and How 2003 You Look’.
Good news, House of Wax fans: Paris Hilton is once again flexing her acting muscle, this time for a cause she believes in.
In a new ad campaign for SodaStream, the fragrance mogul plays a scientist at the Paris Hilton Institute for Plastic Pollution Solutions—clad in a pink leopard print lab coat, duh.
Her goal?
“Think how stupid and how 2003 you look carrying your sparkling water home from the store,” she says in the ad, harkening back to the debut year of her timeless and effortlessly funny reality show The Simple Life.
“People don’t realize what they’re doing to our planet and what’s going to happen one day if they don’t stop.
It’s killing animals in the ocean, it’s polluting the earth, and it’s unnecessary.” WATCH: Paris Hilton’s New Pricey Pooch Beyond that, the heiress was thrilled to show off her comedic skills.
“I think a lot of people might not know that I have that fun side to me,” she says.
“I wanted to have fun with myself and make people laugh and entertain people.
“I have production companies all around the world pitching me ideas to get back into reality, but I just feel like you can’t top Simple Life,” says Hilton.

The life of a water master.
As the official “water master” for the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition, Von Wiesenberger has the task of getting judges up to speed on what makes for a good water.
As the author of several books on bottled water, as well as multiple other books and articles on food and beverages, Von Wiesenberger is an internationally known print and broadcast presenter.
“We use tasting sheets that were designed for NASA to evaluate the acceptability of mineralization in water for space travel.
Bottled water doesn’t have that smell, or at least it shouldn’t.
Also, if something’s floating in the water, that takes points off.
Clear and transparent is the goal.
Then there’s an aroma check, which in addition to the aforementioned chlorine can also include a swampy smell, which might indicate the presence of algae, or iron, which gives a metallic smell.
“Then we move onto taste,” Von Wiesenberger explains.
“Sweeter-tasting water means certain minerals, like potassium, while calcium and magnesium provide hardness.

Thirsty King Cobra Sips From Water Bottle Amid Debilitating Droughts.
Here’s something you don’t see every day.
Video captured a massive king cobra appearing to drink out of a man’s water bottle amid extreme droughts across southern India.
The extremely venomous reptile ― described by Caters News as 12-feet long ― is seen turning to the higher ups, who cautiously pour the water while holding its tail and a hook near its head, presumably in case it turns on them.
The people in the video are wildlife rescue workers, according to Caters.
The video was reportedly shot from a village in Kaiga township.
(Talk about friends in low places.)
According to Smithsonian’s National Zoo, king cobras can grow up to 18 feet in length.
Though they’re considered to be aggressive snakes, they’re said to attack people only when cornered or trying to protect their eggs.
“Throughout its entire range from India to Indonesia, the king cobra causes fewer than five human deaths a year, about one-fifth as many as caused by rattlers in North America,” the zoo’s website states.