Nestlé pumps up to 162 million gallons of water from the San Bernardino National Forest every year.¹ They bottle water regardless of drought conditions or impacts to endangered species, even as other Californians faced mandatory water restrictions during the worst drought on record. The company claims that it holds rights to this water stemming from its corporate predecessors.

It's time we stop taking them at their word. 

At a recent mountain community meeting, a retired Forest Service biologist noted, “Nestlé gave the Forest Service a piece of paper saying that they have a water right, but no one, including the Forest Service, has looked into whether this right is valid." Nestlé was invited to attend this meeting and address the public, but no one came.

This stops now. Tell Nestlé's CEO Fernando Mercé to come to our next community meeting and present us documented proof of their right to our water. 

To back you up, we've assembled a legal team of water rights attorneys in partnership with the Courage Campaign. We're launching an investigation into Nestlé's right to bottle and sell our public water, but they need to hear from all of us. 

Nestlé has been operating for nearly 30 years with an expired Forest Service permit. Prompted by community pressure and thousands of comments from you, the Story of Stuff Community, the Nestle’s permit proposal is currently under review by the Forest Service after decades of inaction. Because of you, we’ve successfully created a much healthier separation between corporate profit-seeking and public service.

Nestlé is giving the people–and ecosystems–of California short shrift. But Nestlé’s operations in California also have worldwide ramifications. While Nestlé makes millions of dollars exporting water from our national forest, our waterways fill with plastic, and our ecosystems pay the price. If we’re going to live sustainably on this planet, we must keep holding them accountable.

Tell Nestlé to publicly present their claim to our public water today!

_{1. Public record obtained from San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District.}