The U.S. Forest Service is ordering the company that bottles Arrowhead Spring Water to stop pumping from a creek in the San Bernardino National Forest.
In a letter to BlueTriton Brands, the Forest Service admonishes the company for not answering repeated questions about the volume of water it extracts from Strawberry Creek. And it declines to renew the company’s permit.
Last month, local activists filed a lawsuit against the agency for allowing BlueTriton to extract water. Activist Amanda Frye says the decision validates their concerns.
"I'm glad that the Forest Service finally realized that BlueTriton, Arrowhead Water, really had no right at Strawberry Creek," said Frye.
A spokesperson for BlueTriton Brands said in an emailed statement the decision is legally baseless and the company is challenging the Forest Service in federal court.
