The fight to stop Nestl from taking America's water to sell in plastic bottles

[turbinetree]

Creek beds are bone dry and once-gushing springs are reduced to trickles as fights play out around the nation over control of nation’s freshwater supply

by Tom Perkins

Tue 29 Oct 2019 02.00 EDT
Last modified on Wed 30 Oct 2019 11.07 EDT


The network of clear streams comprising California’s Strawberry Creek run down the side of a steep, rocky mountain in a national forest two hours east of Los Angeles. Last year Nestlé siphoned 45m gallons of pristine spring water from the creek and bottled it under the Arrowhead Water label.

Though it’s on federal land, the Swiss bottled water giant paid the US Forest Service and state practically nothing, and it profited handsomely: Nestlé Waters’ 2018 worldwide sales exceeded $7.8bn.

Conservationists say some creek beds in the area are now bone dry and once-gushing springs have been reduced to mere trickles. The Forest Service recently determined Nestlé’s activities left Strawberry Creek “impaired” while “the current water extraction is drying up surface water resources”.

Meanwhile, the state is investigating whether Nestlé is illegally drawing from Strawberry Creek and in 2017 advised it to “immediately cease any unauthorized diversions”. Still, a year later, the Forest Service approved a new five-year permit that allows Nestlé to continue using federal land to extract water, a decision critics say defies common sense.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/29/the-fight-over-water-how-nestle-dries-up-us-creeks-to-sell-water-in-plastic-bottles?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Nestle is profiting by taking public water and selling it.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

5. socialism!

Like all the oligarchs, they want to socialize the costs while privatizing the profits.

Take our natural resources and sell 'em piecemeal back to us.

[Squinch]

2. The consumer bears half the fault in this. If you use bottled water, unless you live in Flint or

have a similar situation, you are complicit with Nestle and all the other companies who shill this ridiculous, earth-raping product.

[handmade34]

3. we (consumers collectively)

have allowed this to happen by buying into the deceptive marketing telling us tap water was bad and we have now normalized the irrational demand for a continuous supply of bottled water... that being said, I am aware that water quality can be a concern in some places (and I admit that I am incredibly fortunate to have copious amounts of excellent water on my property - main reason I do not relocate) When I was working on the road, I always carried a PUR (or other brand) water filter with me...

also when there is a real need for trucking water in, why do we not use large containers so as to avoid all the plastic waste???

[JudyM]

4. I always carry a pur pitcher with me when I travel.

I wrap the filter and stuff the pitcher with a bag of socks, etc so it takes up little room.