Why does the water management district issue permits for bottling water?
Each permit application, including those requesting use for bottled water, is fact-specific and must be evaluated on its own merits. Water use for bottling has been allocated in some cases in the past because it was found to meet the District’s permitting criteria for use that is reasonable-beneficial and that does not interfere with other existing legal uses and that is consistent with the public interest. Where such use has been permitted, it has been found to be a reasonable-beneficial use and in the public interest, in part, because the use goes to meet an essential use (drinking water), it is a highly efficient form of water use and is of a very small volume. The total volume of bottled water currently permitted within the entire District is a small fraction of total water use and approximates what one single, good-sized agriculture or public supply well produces. Like any other requests for new water allocation, there is no guarantee that the District will be able to allocate wat
