The State - News from Aug. 14, 1986

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee refused to block a settlement that would guarantee millions of dollars of federally subsidized water to growers in California’s Central Valley. The committee deleted from an Interior Department spending bill a House-approved provision opposing the controversial settlement with Westlands Water District. In a report, the panel said it neither endorsed nor opposed the settlement, which would end nearly two decades of fighting over water for Central Valley growers. Opponents charge that the settlement will give wealthy farmers cheap water and aggravate already-serious drainage problems in the valley. The issue will be resolved by a House-Senate conference committee in late September.