Judge rules against nonprofit, says Humboldt County has discretion in managing groundwater extraction in the lower Eel River Valley
… Humboldt County Superior Court Presiding Judge Kelly Neel ruled against local nonprofit Friends of the Eel River (FOER) in its lawsuit concerning the county’s management of groundwater extraction in the Eel River Valley. The lawsuit, first filed in 2022, argued that Humboldt County was falling short of its responsibility to protect public trust resources in the Eel by failing to consider the adverse effects of groundwater pumping, particularly during the late summer and early fall. … But Judge Neel instead found that the county is already considering public trust resources on the Eel through both its Groundwater Sustainability Plan and its well permitting process.
Other groundwater news:
- SJV Water (Bakersfield, Calif.): Workshops to help Fresno County well owners with registration upcoming
- Arizona Capitol Times (Phoenix): Groundwater protections sought in La Paz County amid lawsuit
