Topic
Water Supply
35 published works
California Eminent Domain Report
Wildfire Inverse Condemnation Liability Limited by California Legislature
We recently reported on the California Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 1153, noting that the Bill was waiting for Governor Newsom’s approval. That approval has now occurred, and the Bill…
The Levee Was Dry
Data Centers and Water Supply in California: Issues to Address Early in Project Development
By Sam Bivins
Data center development is accelerating across California, bringing increased attention to the water supplies and infrastructure needed to serve these projects. That attention has prompted both developers and public agencies…
CEQA Developments
Fourth District Holds Imperial County’s EIR for Salton Sea Geothermal Power/Lithium Extraction Project Lacked CEQA-Compliant Water Supply and Air Quality Analyses
In an opinion filed August 11, and belatedly ordered partially published on September 2, 2026, the Fourth District Court of Appeal (Div. One) partly reversed the trial court’s judgment denying a petition…
CEQA Chronicles
Court of Appeal Upholds EIR’s Water Supply Analysis for American Canyon Warehouse Project
By Andrew M. Skanchy, Joshua B. Bailey
In City of Vallejo v. City of American Canyon (Case No. C102070), the Third District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s judgment rejecting a neighbor city’s CEQA challenge to…
CEQA Developments
Third District Affirms Judgment Upholding American Canyon’s EIR for Industrial Warehouse Project and Related WSA Against Vallejo’s CEQA and Water Code Challenges Based On Allegedly Inadequate Water Supply Analyses
In a published opinion filed January 14, 2026, the Third District Court of Appeal affirmed the Sacramento County Superior Court’s judgment denying the City of Vallejo’s (“Vallejo”) writ petition challenging…
The Right Coast
Massive L.A. Water Reservoir Unavailable For Fire Fighting Should Never Have Been Drained, Says Whistleblower
The lack of water available to firefighters in Los Angeles was unavoidable, say experts and the media. Hydrants ran dry because the fires were just too big and the water…
Environmental and Climate
Court of Appeal Rules No Additional Environmental Review Required for Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project
By Amy R. Higuera, Arley Titzler
In Marina Coast Water Dist. v. County of Monterey (2023) 96 Cal.App.5th 46, the Sixth District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s ruling, rejecting Marina Coast Water District’s (“MCWD”)…
California Land Use & Development Law Report
Monterey Water Saga Continues: County’s Approval of Desalination Plant Upheld Against CEQA Challenges
By Julie Jones
A court of appeal has upheld Monterey County’s approvals for a desalination plant, rejecting challengers’ claims that uncertainty regarding the availability of source water for the plant necessitated additional CEQA…
Environment, Land & Resources
California Water Law: Legal Challenges of Water Supply Assessments
Project applicants and agencies alike should think carefully about developing robust analyses that demonstrate the adequacy of water supply. By Marc T. Campopiano, Diego Enrique Flores, and Lucas I. Quass…
The Nickel Report
Texas Policymakers Continue Focus on Produced Water Beneficial Reuse
By Lisa Montgomery Shelton, Lydia González Gromatzky
Texas policymakers continue to focus on produced water beneficial reuse. On January 22, 2020, the Texas Senate Committees on Natural Resources and Economic Development and Water and Rural Affairs held…