Westlands Water District v. United States

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER ON CROSS-MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Before the court are the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment, which seek to determine the relative rights to water from a federal reclamation project, under three separate contracts with the United States, executed: (1) with plaintiff Westlands Water District (“Westlands”) in 1963 (“1963 Contract”); (2) with plaintiff San Benito County Water District (“San Benito”) in 1978 (“1978 Contract”); and (3) with defendants-in-intervention San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority and Friant Power Authority (“Exchange Contractors”) in 1939, and amended in 1967 (“Exchange Contract”). See Doc. 243 (Exchange Contractors); Doc. 248 (defendants-in-intervention Fri-ant water-users); Doc 255 (plaintiffs); Doc. 259 (federal defendants). Oral argu ment was held, see Doc. 291, and all issues have been fully briefed and considered.

INTRODUCTION

The Central Valley Project (“CVP”) delivers water throughout the Central Valley of California that helps make it the most agriculturally-productive region in the world. It is the nation’s largest federal reclamation project, with nine separate divisions. This dispute…