Hanson Bridgett Secures Water Rights for Ventura County and Ventura County Waterworks Districts 1 and 19
July 21, 2023 (San Francisco, CA) – A team from Hanson Bridgett LLP successfully finalized a five-year effort to secure water rights for clients Ventura County and Ventura County Waterworks Districts 1 and 19. The team received a Final Decree for those water rights from the Santa Barbara Superior Court. All trials were held by Zoom with many witnesses and many documents supporting the water rights and the physical solution that the Court imposed to help achieve a sustainable yield for the Las Posas Basin.
"This was the first trial under the new Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and the expedited process for adjudication passed by the California Legislature in 2014," said lead partner Michael Van Zandt. "There were more than 50 sets of attorneys involved in the case and thousands of claimants for the water rights. The trials lasted more than 30 days with many hearings and motions. Both our team and our clients are very happy with the outcome of this very long and complex case."
The Hanson Bridgett Team also helped draft the Watermaster regulations which will be used to manage the water basin. All objections were overruled, and the team now waits to see whether the Non-Settling Parties will appeal.
The Hanson Bridgett team, led by partner Michael Van Zandt, included partner Nathan Metcalf, counsel Neil Bardack and senior counsel Sean Herman.
Background on the Case
In 2014,the California Legislature passed a law that regulated groundwater for the first time in California. The new law provided for the evaluation of all groundwater basins in the state and required that Groundwater Sustainability Plans be prepared to ensure that the basins had a sustainable yield of a water supply sufficient to meet all beneficiel use needs in the basin without causing overdraft. Fox Canyon Groundwater management Agency is the Groundwater management Agency for the Las Posas Basin in Ventura County. A group of landowners in the Las Posas Basin petitioned the Ventura County Superior Court to adjudicate the groundwater rights in the basin. The case was assigned to the Santa Barbara County Superior Court for trial. After five years and three trials the judge in the case finalized the decree which adjudicated groundwater rights in the basin, established a physical solution to ensure the sustainable yield of the basin and also approved rules for the Watermaster who would manage the basin. Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency was desiganted as the Watermaster and is responsible for managing all groundwater for the benefit of the water users.
About Hanson Bridgett
Hanson Bridgett LLP is a full service AmLaw 200 law firm with more than 200 attorneys across California. Creating a diverse workforce by fostering an atmosphere of belonging and intentional support has been a priority at Hanson Bridgett since its founding in 1958. We are dedicated to creating an environment that provides opportunities for people with varied backgrounds, both for attorneys and administrative professionals. As the first law firm recognized as a certified B Corp, we are committed to the communities where our employees live and work and consider it part of our professional obligation to serve justice by encouraging and supporting pro bono and social impact work.
