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More than 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data.

That law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents. But since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage.

Davis attorney Don Mooney has agreed to take the case if the issue goes to court. Mooney represented McCloud residents in their six-year fight against a Nestlé Waters North America water-bottling plant near Mt. Shasta. The company abandoned plans for the plant in September.

The most powerful voices in the state's recent $11 billion water talks might have been two water districts – one speaking for half the state's population and the other for just 600 San Joaquin Valley farmers.

The negotiations led to legislation with the promise of epic change – restoring dying fisheries, building dams and easing gridlock that has dogged water system improvement for decades.

It made sense that Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 19 million people, would wield big political clout in those talks. But who are those 600 farmers?

A $14 million retrofit of a proposed Nestlé water-bottling plant has ground to a halt after the city of Sacramento issued a stop-work order while investigating whether the work began before the company had legal authorization from the city.

Discussion over a Nestlé water-bottling plant appears to be growing in Sacramento, as the Swiss multinational prepares a facility for operation and new hires begin work.

The Sacramento City Council, which was not involved in the decision to approve the plant, will discuss the issue publicly for the first time after a request two weeks ago by council members Kevin McCarty and Lauren Hammond. They asked the council to consider an emergency ordinance requiring a special permit before Nestlé Waters North America begins bottling city tap water and spring water at a plant in South Sacramento.

The Sacramento City Council will discuss whether it should draft an urgency ordinance that would require special permits for water bottling facilities after some members of the community raised concerns over a new Nestle water plant planned for south Sacramento.

Councilman Kevin McCarty asked Tuesday night for city staff to place the discussion on a council agenda in the near future. He also asked the city's utilities department to explore a system of tiered water rates for commercial facilities.

After six years of surprisingly contentious and frustrating attempts to bottle the glacier-fed spring water flowing in the small Northern California town of McCloud, Nestlé is giving up.

With Nestlé’s announcement to withdraw its water bottling facility plans only four days old and a public hearing on the issue of raising district water service rates, it was no surprise that last Monday’s McCloud directors meeting was packed.

With a public hearing for protest against a proposed water rate increase scheduled first, many residents presented their concerns on the issue.

McCloud, Calif. -

Nestlé Waters North America has decided to withdraw its proposal to build a bottling facility in McCloud.
The decision followed what Nestlé Waters described as “a thorough analysis of its business operations in Northern California,” including the new facility the company has secured in Sacramento that it sees as a replacement for the production expected from McCloud.

Water pumps began running this week at the proposed Crystal Geyser sparkling water bottling plant site in Orland.

Conducting the tests at County Road 200 and County Road N is Malcolm Pirnie, a 100-year-old environmental engineering firm specializing in water engineering.

"The key to the test we are starting this week in Orland is to establish and benchmark what is referred to as a 'sustainable yield,' the pumping rate that can reliably be used over a long period of time without negatively impacting the aquifer or nearby private wells," Project Manager James Strandberg said.