Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
The Arrowhead bottling plant, owned by Nestle, is a long way from the snowy mountain peaks evoked by its label. In real life, it's situated in the San Gorgonio Pass, a hot, dry desert area of Southern California. It's on tribal lands of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.
The plant draws water from an underground aquifer, a crucial source of water during this extreme drought. Exactly how much water it is pumping from the ground is not known, as the Morongo tribe is the sovereign entity there. Nestle Water reports the information to the tribe but does not have to disclose it to the state.
Reporter Ian James has been writing about concerns over the Arrowhead plant for the Desert Sun newspaper.
This week, Arrowhead responded to their reporting, saying they have a drought mitigation plan in place, but declined to reveal exact details.