Restaurant ends free water in light of drought

In the wake of the state's severe drought, many Southern California restaurants have stopped the practice of leaving water out for guests, serving it only on request.

Johannes Restaurant is taking it a step further.

Starting on June 15, guests at the Palm Springs, Calif. restaurant will no longer receive complimentary water at dinner, even on request. Instead, Johannes will be charging $1 for a bottle of Walwera Organic Artesian Still Water, a New Zealand company, in a BPA-free PET container.

In a statement, the restaurant said they are taking this step to try and preserve the environment. They also hope that other regional restaurants will follow suit, and that guests will understand and support the concept.

Bottled water—at least the kind sourced in California—has been been the target of criticism as the state tries to slash water use in its fourth year of a severe drought.

On Wednesday, protesters demonstrated outside Nestle bottled water plants in Los Angeles and Sacramento, calling for a halt to bottling in California during the drought.