The Fifth District Court of Appeal has published its opinion in which the court invalidated the Castaic Lake Water Agency's urban water management plan. The court rejected the four-year-old plan because it assumed that groundwater supplies tainted by perchlorate would be available during dry years, even though treatment facilities were not yet in place (see CP&DR In Brief, November 2004).
The ruling marked the first time that a court has thrown out an urban water management plan, which is required to address 20-year supplies and demand.
The case is Friends of Santa Clara River v. Castaic Lake Water Agency, No. F043273, 04 C.D.O.S. 9281, 2004 DJDAR 12676. The order for publication was filed on October 15, 2004.
