Court Approves Water Project Near Mexican Border

Court Alerts

[##_1L|1018303791.jpg|width="158" height="112" alt=""|_##]An appeals court has ruled that the federal government can line a major canal with concrete to stop huge leaks, rejecting arguments that growers across the border in Mexico need the leaking water for their crops.
Proponents of lining the All-American Canal say it would save 67,000 acre-feet of water, enough to meet the needs of more than 500,000 homes in fast-growing San Diego County.

Opponents, who sued to block the project, said it would devastate farmers in the Mexicali Valley.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a law signed by President Bush last year that orders the Bureau of Reclamation to start the project without delay.

The court's ruling lifts an injunction granted last year when opponents sued.

Although more appeals are possible, the project's supporters said they hoped Friday's decision resolves the issue.

"This is truly a Good Friday," said Daniel S. Hentschke, a San Diego County Water Authority attorney. "This is enormously important for San Diego and the entire state."

The 82-mile-long canal was completed in 1942 to carry water west from the Colorado River. It irrigates crops along both sides of the border in an area about 100 miles east of San Diego.

Opponents of the $200 million project include both environmentalists and business representatives. They said lining a 23-mile section of the canal will dry up tens of thousands of acres of Mexican farmland, allow Mexican wells to become polluted and threaten migratory birds by eliminating wetlands. That could cause significant job losses and other economic problems on both sides of the border, they said.

The court said Mexico already takes 1.5 million acre-feet of Colorado River water a year under the terms of a 1944 treaty and is entitled to no more.


Related listings

  • Man Who Abused Puppy Sentenced to Jail

    Man Who Abused Puppy Sentenced to Jail

    Court Alerts 04/07/2007

    A man has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges after authorities said he told workers at a local shelter that he was getting rid of his Doberman puppy because his hands hurt from hitting it. Isaak Gowhari, 34, of Los Angeles, was sentenced Thursd...

  • Man Pleads Guilty To Running Off With 13-Year-Old Girl

    Man Pleads Guilty To Running Off With 13-Year-Old Girl

    Court Alerts 04/07/2007

    [##_1L|1383177501.jpg|width="130" height="90" alt=""|_##]A 22-year-old man who ran off with his boss's 13-year-old daughter will be heading to federal prison. Eric Sanchez was arrested on a Greyhound bus in St. Louis last June when federal agents boa...

  • Executives plead guilty in prison-food bribery case

    Executives plead guilty in prison-food bribery case

    Court Alerts 04/07/2007

    [##_1L|1098035181.jpg|width="170" height="128" alt=""|_##]Two executives of a Los Angeles food company pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to bribery charges arising from $532,000 in alleged kickbacks to Fred Monem, Oregon's recently fired priso...

New York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC

Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.

Business News

New York & New Jersey Family Law Matters We represent our clients in all types of proceedings that include termination of parental rights. >> read