… Who decides the needs and uses of stored water? Who owns it? It is a fascinating debate that has raged for years, and the U.S. Supreme Court may be about to weigh in on it again. A case originating in California has brought the issue back to the forefront of western jurisprudence. … The case, City of Fresno, et al. v. United States, et al., began with the 2014 drought, and the Bureau’s decision to withhold available water from part of the Central Valley Project. Irrigation districts and municipal suppliers on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley received a “zero allocation,” while the Bureau released water to other districts. … Is the Bureau required to pay for those property losses when taking that water for other uses it decided were more important? 
–Written by Greg Walcher, former director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.