Central Valley Water Users Sue Feds

Delta smelt protection rules issued in December 2008 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service are endangering Californians who depend on the Central Valley Project (CVP), according to a lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court in Fresno.

The lawsuit, which names a number of federal agencies including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, was brought by the Westlands Water District as well as the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authorities.

Those water users contend that both urban and agricultural users are being harmed and asks the court to prevent rule enforcement.

The Bureau of Reclamation has cut off agricultural water users who will get no water from the federally run CVP for the foreseeable future.

See Fed Water Cutoff Could Blunt Obama Stimulus for more on the previous federal actions.