Water District to Appeal Transfer Fee Ruling
The governing board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted Tuesday to appeal a judge’s decision rejecting the agency’s proposal on how much it can charge other water agencies for sending water through the Colorado Aqueduct.
Last month, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Laurence Kay rejected the MWD’s view that the district should be allowed to recoup a portion of its overhead costs from water agencies using the aqueduct to receive water from the Colorado River. The MWD has been opposed in the lawsuit by water districts in San Diego and the Imperial Valley, by Native Americans living along the Colorado River and by a coalition of environmentalists.
Although they disagree on the details of the case, both sides agree that the final ruling could influence water policy in California for decades because it will set the price for water transfers between the state’s water-rich rural and agricultural water districts and the districts along the coastal areas.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
