Conservation Groups Challenge Approval of Water Pumping Program

Conservation groups will challenge a judge’s decision allowing a California groundwater pumping program to start while their lawsuit is pending, according to a filing in the Ninth Circuit.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s program incentivizes groundwater pumping instead of drawing water from the Sacramento River. The agency provides funding to offset costs to those who turn to groundwater pumping instead of surface water.

AquAlliance, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, and the California Water Impact Network told the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California that the program will lead to “new historic groundwater lows.” The groups sought to block ...