California nudists accused of stealing public water
September 15, 2014
Rangers for a Northern California open space district raided a nudist colony Thursday, accusing the residents of stealing water from a district waterfall. [Mercury News]
Amid the current drought, the Lupin Lodge nudist camp, located near Los Gatos, has endured major water shortages and has resorted to trucking in water. Residents of the camp recently opted to run an upstream water line that drew water out of a Midpeninsula Open Space District waterfall.
The makeshift pipeline reportedly produced about 11.5 delivery trucks of water per day for the Lupin Lodge. Owners of the lodge justified the water source, saying they have grandfathered in water rights and need the water for fire protection.
But, open space district officials disputed the claim, saying the nudists’ actions amounted to a private taking of a public resource.
District rangers, in turn, removed the water line, coiled it up and dumped it on Lupin Lodge property. A testy encounter then occurred between the rangers and the nudists, which resulted in sheriff’s deputies coming to keep the peace.
No arrests occurred, and the nudists did not receive any form of citation for erecting the water line. It is unclear if any further legal action will occur.
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