August 21, 2018

Consumer Group SumOfUs demands CA Water Board limit Nestle to 8.5 million gallons of groundwater per year

SAN BERNARDINO, CA — As California endures one of the worst starts to fire season in a decade, a petition from consumer group SumOfUs is calling on the California Water Board to save groundwater by limiting companies like Nestlé from extracting up to 60 million gallons a year from the San Bernardino National Forest. Specifically, the petition, which has been signed by over 60,000 people, asks the California Water Board to enforce a directive demanding that Nestle take only 8.5 million gallons a year.

View the Petition here:

https://actions.sumofus.org/a/tell-nestle-to-stop-sucking-california-dry

“For all the water Nestlé takes from the San Bernardino National Forest, it pays a laughable $624 a year, then bottles and sells the water for millions in profit while sucking the state dry,” said Campaigner Manager, Angus Wong. “San Bernardino's Forest water is critical for ecosystems like Strawberry Creek—home to 71 species of threatened wildlife—which is running drier than ever before, all while Nestlé extracts the water for a major profit.

“The Water Board has the power to enforce its directive and stop Nestlé’s water grabbing. Our organization is galvanizing a huge wave of support for the Water Board right now, and that could be what we need to finally stop Nestlé from stealing from California’s precious and vital water sources,” added Wong.

This is not the first time SumOfUs has targeted Nestlè over water extraction. Earlier this year, when Nestlé sued a small township in Michigan, hundreds of thousands of SumOfUs members signed a petition and raised $50,000 for legal costs, so the township could continue fighting for its water resources in court.

View the petition here: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/nestle-drop-your-intimidation-lawsuit-against-osceola-township