Pact Lets U.S. Buy Contaminated Farmland
A settlement was reached Friday in U.S. District Court in Fresno that will allow the U.S. government to purchase 33,000 acres of salt-poisoned farmland from growers in the Westlands Water District.
The agreement settled a 15-year-old lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for failing to complete a drainage system in the district. That led to the buildup of salt and other minerals in some fields, according to allegations in the lawsuit.
The agreement also paves the way for a larger 200,000-acre retirement plan in the works between the U.S. and Westlands.
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