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<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Weekly Calistogan<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b> <a
href="http://www.weeklycalistogan.com/articles/2010/05/06/news/local/doc4be2287c17f65174301408.txt">http://www.weeklycalistogan.com/articles/2010/05/06/news/local/doc4be2287c17f65174301408.txt</a><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Water suit sets new law
of the land<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>By John Waters Jr.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Editor<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Thursday, May 06, 2010<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Calistoga has a new claim to fame.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>In addition to being known as a great place to soak in
mineral water and healing mud, it will, from May 3 forward be known as the
front line in a growing battle after environmentalists working to preserve the
public trust scored a major victory.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>“This is huge,” said Chris Malan, general
manager of the Napa-based Living Rivers Council and head of the North Coast
Streamflow Coalition Northern Region. “There is a water war going on in
California, and this ruling is completely going to change things.”<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Malan alleges there are 286 illegal water diversions,
mostly from vineyard development, in the Napa River watershed.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Because so many people steal water from creeks —
either they don’t get permits or they violate the conditions of their
permits, which constitutes a trespass against the people of the state —
many of the Napa River tributaries go dead during the summer from too many
diversions, said Malan. Steelhead and numerous other aquatic animals die a slow
death as pools become warm and lack oxygen and eventually dry up.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>“People who steal water from creeks deprive the downstream
ecosystem and people of their public trust right to fish, swim and
recreate,” she said. “This is an issue that has been going on for
years and the major media just doesn’t get it because it’s
wineries, not just cities, that are the major takers.”<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Public trust<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>The “public trust” doctrine is a principle
that certain resources are preserved for public use, and that the government is
required to maintain them for the public’s reasonable use.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Calistoga Deputy City Attorney Leah Castella on April
23 failed to convince Napa Superior Court Judge Ray Guadagni that anyone
wishing to sue local agencies in allegations of violating the public trust must
sue the state’s resource regulating agencies.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>On Monday the court affirmed the tentative ruling it
issued on April 23. The action means the City of Calistoga is headed for trial
in early July in the ongoing case of Reynolds v. City of Calistoga.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Reynolds is attempting to sue the City of Calistoga
directly for violation of the public trust for its alleged failure to comply
with a Department of Fish and Game Code (section 5937) which requires the owner
of any dam to allow sufficient water at all times to pass through a fishway,
or, in the absence of a fishway, to allow sufficient water to pass over, around
or through the dam to keep in good condition.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>The plaintiff has alleged that the City, as owner of
the Kimball dam, has violated its statutory duty. The judge has not stated the
city is guilty of the allegations, just that it may be held directly
accountable. The City must still defend against the allegations at trial in
July.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Regardless of whether the city is guilty or not,
Monday’s ruling becomes the law of the land, and environmental groups
have already begun to take notice.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Taking notice<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>“This new Superior Court ruling on Monday says
that anyone who diverts water must provide enough flow for downstream fish and
if they don’t they can be sued by anyone,” said Malan.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Prior to the ruling the people were told by the State
Water Resource Control Board (SWRCB) that is was the sole agency with
jurisdiction to enforce water law. In truth, anyone wanting to sue anyone
diverting had to file a complaint with the SWRCB and it would decide whether to
sue.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>In January 2010, the SWRCB beefed up its enforcement
arm, hiring 23 new agents. Prior to that there was only one agent for the entire
state.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>“If the SWRCB didn’t pursue an illegal
diversion then someone would have to sue the SWRCB to enforce illegal
diversions,” Malan explained.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b> With the State Attorney General’s office
filing a “friend of the court” brief in mid-April on behalf of plaintiff
Grant Reynolds in his lawsuit against the City of Calistoga, illegal diverters
are put on notice that anyone can sue anyone believed to be killing the flows
in a stream.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>“This makes it easier to go straight to the
source of the illegal problem of killing a stream and takes the SWRCB out of
the middle,” Malan said. “That is a huge change — allowing
anyone to file against anyone else stealing riparian water from a stream and
failing to provide bypass flows for fish and people downstream.”<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Malan said environmental groups “all over
northern California” are beginning to take notice of the Calistoga case.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Currently, Reynolds v. City of Calistoga is scheduled
to go to trial in early July. It is also charged with breach of contract, a
charge that is not covered by the city’s insurance, leaving city water
rate payers on the hook for damages and legal fees.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b>Recently, city officials admitted that a portion of
the city’s water enterprise funds will be used to pay for the litigation.
So far, legal costs have exceeded $312,000, according to city records obtained
through a Public Records Act Request.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker, JcT</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends
of Trinity River</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box 2327</span></i><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Mill Valley, CA
94942-2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810
land/fax (call first to fax)</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810
mobile</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><span style='color:blue'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></i><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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href="http://fotr.org/"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.fotr.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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