Forest Service orders Arrowhead-brand water bottler to cease operating in San Bernardino Mountains
The company that sells Arrowhead bottled water has been denied a permit by the U.S. Forest Service to continue its nearly century-old practice of drawing water from the San Bernardino Mountains. In a letter dated July 26, San Bernardino National Forest District Ranger Michael Nobles informed Blue Triton Brands’ to immediately cease operations and remove its equipment and infrastructure from Strawberry Canyon, located northeast of the Arrowhead Springs Hotel, where Blue Triton draws its water in gravity-fed pipes. The hotel is owned by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, which also receives a substantial amount of water from Blue Triton’s pipeline, according to Nobles’ letter and a spokesperson for Blue Triton. Nobles said the company’s failure to provide requested information in its permit application, particularly concerning the use of water being taken from forest lands, left the federal agency with no alternative but to deny the application.
Related articles: