California water regulators are accusing a business of illegally taking water that is later bottled and sold in stores.
The State Water Resources Control Board says Sugar Pine Spring Water diverted 22 acre feet of water over two years from the Tuolumne River watershed.
Regulators say the company and its owner, Scott Fahey, were notified in 2014 and again this year to stop. Fahey faces a nearly $225,000 fine.
Water tapped by Sugar Pine Spring Water would otherwise flow into the Lake Don Pedro Reservoir.
This is the first enforcement action taken against a bottled water company. Earlier this year, state regulators proposed a $1.5 million fine against Byron-Bethany Irrigation District near Tracy.
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