Stanislaus-area water suppliers are at center of court ruling
Water suppliers in and near Stanislaus County had a leading role in a ruling Monday limiting state cutbacks during drought. The 6th Appellate District Court found that the State Water Resources Control Board lacks the power to interfere with so-called “senior” water rights holders and curtail their diversions of water from rivers. The case stems from orders imposed by the state board in 2015, during the previous drought, when it halted farms and cities throughout the Central Valley from taking water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts joined the suit to protect their rights to the Stanislaus River.