We Advocate Through etc. v. County of Siskiyou

BACKGROUND

In the 1990s, Dannon Waters of North America, which later became Coca-Cola Dannon (Dannon), acquired a property in the County with the intent of constructing a bottling facility. It afterward, following County approval, constructed a bottling facility, a groundwater production well (known as DEX-6), and a domestic groundwater well (known as the domestic well). Dannon operated the plant from January 2001 until some point in 2010. Crystal Geyser acquired the property in 2013. A few years later, after Crystal Geyser proposed returning the plant to production, the County initiated environmental review of the proposed project under CEQA. In 2017, the County released a draft document, called a draft Environmental Impact Report or draft EIR, describing the proposed project and analyzing the project’s potential impacts. In the draft EIR, the County explained that, in general, “[t]he Proposed Project entails renovations to a former bottling plant in unincorporated Siskiyou County . . . adjacent to the City of Mt. Shasta (City) for the production of sparkling water, flavored water, juice beverages, and teas.” It added that, to facilitate the project, Crystal Geyser would need to…