The legal struggle over Crystal Geyser’s Mt Shasta Plant continues.
Critics have filed suit against Siskiyou County, accusing it of bungling environmental reports associated with plans to revive a defunct bottling plant in Mt Shasta.
A 42-page brief, filed in recent weeks by Davis-based attorneys Marsha Burch and Donald Mooney, accuses the county of violating the California Environmental Quality Act by conducting inadequate reviews of potential impacts among other issues.
The county approved an Environmental Impact Report for the project in December 2017. Crystal Geyser Water Company obtained the 121-acre site in 2013. It was previously operated by Dannon Waters of North America and later by the Coca-Cola Company.
The suit was filed on behalf of the local group We Advocate Thorough Environmental Review, or WATER and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. Bruce Hillman, president of the group said Siskiyou County placed no limit on the amount of water extracted and bottled by the plant, and asserted that during earlier operations, wells on nearby properties were impacted. The brief asserts that Siskiyou County claims it lacks the authority to regulate how much water would be extracted.
The suit also accuses the county of violating AB 52, a law enacted to protect cultural resources of Native Americans.
A call to the Siskiyou County Counsel’s office was not returned by press time. A call to Crystal Geyser Water Company was not returned.
The matter is scheduled for a hearing before Judge Karen Dixon in Siskiyou County Superior Court in Yreka on May 10