W.A.T.E.R. is challenging the unjust, environmentally dangerous and legally unsound ruling by Siskiyou County Superior Court upholding the County’s approval of the Crystal Geyser EIR. W.A.T.E.R. and our co-petitioners, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, are taking our appeal of this ruling to the Appellate court in Sacramento!  Thus we are asking for your help on Giving Tuesday.

We believe the ruling did not address the numerous California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) issues raised in our brief and, where it did address an issue, it failed to hold the County to the appropriate standards set by law.

Our challenge to the Crystal Geyser EIR focuses on its many inaccuracies and deficiencies of the EIR:

• There is no upper limit on the amount of water CG may pump out of the ground 
• There is a faulty and inadequate environmental review of water supply, water quality, traffic, noise, hazards and hazardous materials, air quality, climate change, aesthetics, light and glare, and land use. 
• In approving this EIR the County violated fundamental mandates of the CEQA and its own land use plans and ordinances. 

By approving this faulty and inadequate EIR and not requiring Crystal Geyser to be accountable, the County is exposing neighbors, and possibly the City of Mount Shasta, to pollution and groundwater depletion.  

W.A.T.E.R. is committed to protect the water, our communities and the environment for the many future generations to come, thus we are compelled to appeal this ruling. This fight will take funds and perseverance. We have received some funding grants to help our fight, but we need your help.

W.A.T.E.R. has also been active in many other environmental issues around the Mountain.  We have filed comments in the EIR Notice of Preparation opposing the Shasta Dam raising, submitted comments to the Mount Shasta planning commission detailing our objections to the Freeze Mini-storage Carwash project, advocated for undergrounding the power lines along Old Stage Road and commented on the deficiencies of the proposed Love’s truck stop in Weed. We have supported Water for Citizens of Weed California in their fight to prevent Roseburg Forest Products from a corporate takeover of the City of Weed’s water supply, and we have supported McCloud residents in their fight to once again oppose another water bottling plant from opening there. We also participate in the City of Mt. Shasta's General Plan Update process providing input on issues related to environmental protections that will support the tourism economy and a healthy community. W.A.T.E.R. has also been active in working with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and groups such as the Gateway Neighborhood Association, McCloud Springs Alliance and Water for Citizens of Weed California. We are members of the Shasta Environmental Alliance, the Upper Sacramento Regional Water Action Group and the state-wide NGO Water Collaborative Group.

These issues and groups are important pillars in the struggle to preserve our mountain home’s water and environment. With your help we can continue this essential work.