Nestlé, the largest water bottling corporation in the world, has been sucking up millions of gallons from the San Bernardino National Forest. How much water? As much as 162 million gallons in a year. That’s over 245 Olympic-size swimming pools worth of water IN JUST ONE YEAR.
And Nestlé has been profiting from this water under an expired permit.
Even after state officials directed Nestlé to stop its unauthorized extraction, the corporation is continuing to brazenly extract water from the forest. On World Water Day, let’s stop Nestlé’s bottling in San Bernardino!
We’ve teamed up with the Story of Stuff Project and other allies to demand the Forest Service chief stand up to Nestlé and its illegal extraction. We delivered messages from over 60,000 people echoing this call just a few weeks ago, but Nestlé is still bottling and profiting from this essential resource. We need to keep the pressure on the head of the Forest Service to listen to people, not Nestlé. Add your voice to stop Nestlé’s water extraction from San Bernardino National Forest!
In December, the California State Water Resources Control Board staff found that Nestlé doesn’t have a right to the vast majority of water that it has been bottling from San Bernardino National Forest. Despite being told by the state to immediately end its unauthorized extraction of this water, Nestlé’s operations have continued unabated.
It’s time the Forest Service fulfills its mission: to sustain U.S. forests to meet the needs of present and future generations. Until the Forest Service stops Nestlé’s unlawful and damaging water grab, they are failing that mission.
We’re telling the head of the U.S. Forest Service that enough is enough: this water belongs in the forest, not in Nestlé’s plastic water bottles. Nestlé has no right to exploit this precious resource. The Forest Service needs to protect our public lands and put a stop to Nestlé’s illegal water removal!
