Starbucks continues to sell water drawn from drought-stricken California

California , and the southwestern US, is in the midst of a historic drought

Starbucks continues to sell its Ethos brand of bottled water, even though some of that water is drawn from springs in drought-stricken California, according to a report from Mother Jones.

Ethos bottled water – which Starbucks bought in 2005 – gets some of its water from private springs in California’s Placer County, a part of the state that is under “exceptional drought”, according to reports.

The local paper, the Merced Sun-Star, is reporting that residents are irate at the coffee behemoth for pulling water from the parched region.

“If they are using a city well, then it’s the residents’ water,” said Jean Okuye, vice president of Valley Land Alliance.

“I would be very concerned because it could be affecting the residents’ water directly,” she told the Sun-Star. “And when you turn on that tap and we don’t have any water, people will maybe wake up and think about who is taking all the water.”

Starbucks responded by saying that it is getting its water from private springs that are not used by any municipalities. The Ethos brand donates 5 cents of every sale to water projects across the globe and has raised more than $12 million.

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