City of Vallejo v. City of American Canyon

I. BACKGROUND

American Canyon does not currently have access to groundwater and so relies on outside sources for water. Most of American Canyon’s water—around 5,200 acre-feet per year—comes from the California State Water Project (State Water Project).2 Much of

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Public Resources Code.

2 The State Water Project is “one of the largest water projects in the world, consisting of dams, reservoirs, storage tanks, pumping plants, aqueducts, pipelines, and canals designed to capture, store, and deliver water throughout the state. Each year, the [State Water Project] delivers water to about 25 million residents from Napa Valley to San Diego and irrigates about 750,000 acres of farmland.” (Central Delta Water Agency v. Department of Water Resources (2021) 69 Cal.App.5th 170, 182; see also Planning & Conservation League v. Department of Water Resources (2024) 98 Cal.App.5th 726, 741-

2 the rest—approximately 23 percent of American Canyon’s water supply in a “normal” year—comes from Vallejo. A. The 1996 Agreement Vallejo, like American Canyon, receives water from the State Water Project. But Vallejo also holds an appropriative water right…