Fruitful Legal Battles Over Water Supply

In Kern County, Calif., trendy fruits like pomegranate are at the center of a number of contentious lawsuits over water resource management.

1 minute read

July 29, 2011, 12:00 PM PDT

By Jeff Jamawat


An inherent dearth of surface water, coupled with constant demand to sustain the state's gargantuan agricultural economy, foster conflicts among groups with vested interests in California's limited water supply.

For decades, water banking was the answer to the region's water shortages. By no means perfect, it is essentially "a system in which water-rights holders - mostly in the rural West - store water in underground reservoirs either for their own future use or for leasing to fast-growing urban areas," explains Felicity Barringer of The New York Times.

However, as trendy fruits like pistachio and pomegranate entered the mainstream over the last decade, Central Valley farmers responded to the increased demand by switching exclusively to permanent crops that require even more water year-round and thus "taking away the option of letting fields lie fallow in dry years." This, in turn, throws off the precarious equilibrium of the region's water banks and lawsuits over water rights ensue.

Currently, there are three cases in court, one of which "challenges the 1990s deal that transferred the Kern Water Bank from the state to a group of water suppliers controlled by the Resnicks," who own POM Wonderful, a company that sells pomegranates and pomegranate-based products.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight