The network of clear streams comprising California's Strawberry Creek run down the side of a steep, rocky mountain in a national forest two hours east of Los Angeles. Last year Nestl siphoned 45m gallons of pristine spring water from the creek and bottled it under the Arrowhead Water label. Though it's on federal land, the Swiss bottled water giant paid the US Forest Service and state practically nothing, and it profited handsomely: Nestl Waters' 2018 worldwide sales exceeded $7.8bn. Conservationists say some creek beds in the area are now bone dry and once-gushing springs have been reduced to mere trickles. The Forest Service recently determined Nestl's activities left Strawberry Creek impaired" while "the current water extraction is drying up surface water resources". Still, a year later, the Forest Service approved a new five-year permit that allows Nestl to continue using federal land to extract water, a decision critics say defies common sense. At the national level, former agriculture secretary Ann Veneman serves on Nestl's board. Former Forest Service special uses leader Gary Earney administered Nestl's water permit between 1984 and 2007 and is now one of its most vocal critics. During that time, he witnessed "devastating" Forest Service budget cuts that made it impossible to monitor Nestle's activities or properly manage the forest. Former San Bernardino national forest supervisor Gene Zimmerman ... left the agency in 2006 to work as a contractor for Nestl.