Hanson Bridgett's Involvement in California Groundwater Case

This article is a report detailing the involvement of Hanson Bridgett LLP in a significant groundwater management case in California's Las Posas Valley Basin. The firm represented Ventura County and its waterworks districts in a complex multistage court process that began with a lawsuit filed in 2018 by the Las Posas Basin Water Rights Coalition. The case included numerous parties advocating for their water rights, reflecting the challenges of managing limited groundwater resources. The report outlines the three phases of litigation, starting with the establishment of historic groundwater use, followed by negotiations on sustainable yield, and concluding with a court-approved management scheme. The article highlights the dynamics of party alignments throughout the case and discusses the implications of the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act on future water litigation. The resolution of the case within five years is noted as a relatively quick outcome in the context of water law, emphasizing the effectiveness of recent legal amendments.