SAN DIEGO — US bottled water companies were responding to the Southern California wildfire relief efforts this week by donating cases of bottled water to both rescue workers and evacuees.

Stephen Kay, vice president of communications for the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), told WaterTech Online™ on October 24, “Several IBWA members are supplying bottled water to rescue personnel and citizens at [San Diego's] Qualcomm Stadium.”

Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water, a Mira Loma, CA-based bottled water company owned by Nestlé Waters North America, offered an example of what companies were doing.

The company announced on October 24 that it had donated thousands of cases of bottled water to rescue workers who are fighting the Southern California wildfires and wildfire evacuees.

“All of us in Southern California are affected by this disaster and we’re eager to pitch in and help with the relief efforts in whatever ways we can,” Ron Kane, regional logistics manager for Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water, said in a company press release.

The company is working with the American Red Cross, local response agencies and retailers, Kane said.

The company said it has provided 36,000 bottles of water to various Red Cross shelters, 36,000 bottles of water to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and 36,000 bottles of water to US Forest Service firefighters in Lake Arrowhead and surrounding communities in the San Bernardino Mountains. It also said it has helped fulfill other requests for bottled water through retail partners or the military.

“Through our own donations and coordination with retail partners, we’ve already facilitated the movement of more than 3 million bottles of water for wildfire relief efforts,” Kane said.

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