Hood River County has approved citizen group Local Water Alliance to proceed in gathering signatures for a ballot measure barring commercial water bottling operations in the county, including Nestlé Waters of North America, which has attempted for six years to site a water bottling plant in Cascade Locks.

Petitioners hope to gather 2,000 signatures. County legal counsel originally denied the application but when petitioners appealed in circuit court, the county stipulated to let the petition go through. If enough signatures are collected, the measure is prepared to go before county voters in the May election.