The company that sells Arrowhead 100% Mountain Spring Water is suing to challenge California regulators’ recent ruling that the company must stop taking much of the water it pipes from the San Bernardino National Forest for bottling. BlueTriton Brands filed the lawsuit this month in Fresno County Superior Court, arguing in its complaint that the State Water Resources Control Board overstepped its authority “far beyond what California law allows.
BlueTriton and prior owners of the business have for years had a federal special-use permit allowing them to use the pipeline and other water infrastructure in the San Bernardino National Forest, paying an annual fee that as of last year was $1,950. There has been no fee for using the water. The Forest Service has recently told the company, however, that reissuing the permit would require proof of water rights. The water board ordered BlueTriton to comply with the order by Nov. 1.