After 2 years of attempting to work with local government agencies to obtain a fair Environmental Impact Report (EIR), W.A.T.E.R. has filed a “Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief” against Crystal Geyser Water Company and Siskiyou County. The complaint was filed in Napa County Superior Court, the location of Crystal Geyser Water Company’s corporate offices.
 
The complaint states Crystal Geyser Water Company’s planned operation of a bottling facility for the processing of teas and other beverages, including the production of plastic bottles, is inconsistent with the Siskiyou County Zoning Ordinance and the Siskiyou County General Plan as the facility is located in a “Woodland Productivity” overlay, which designates the land for light-industrial use, not heavy-industrial use. The lawsuit also claims that the Crystal Geyser’s operations will violate the County’s groundwater ordinances, which provide that it is unlawful to extract groundwater for use outside the basin from which it was extracted without obtaining a written permit from the County.
 
If the County moves forward with this project, the County must issue discretionary permits for the operation of the Mt. Shasta Crystal Geyser facility. At this point, Crystal Geyser must comply with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), including the creation of a complete CEQA review of the proposed operation, including evaluation of all potential environmental hazards of the Crystal Geyser project, groundwater depletion and consequent threats to neighboring residential and city wells, noise, energy consumption, nighttime lighting, plastics fumes, toxic waste disposal, and truck traffic. Such an independent environmental review is necessary to protect the community against these hazards, to preserve the character and livability of this community, and to impose mandatory monitoring and regulation of the facility if and when it begins operation.

See full W.A.T.E.R. press release HERE.

See text of lawsuit HERE.