LOS ANGELES, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A group of California farmers will receive more than $16 million from the federal government for irrigation water that was diverted to fish habitats.
The Los Angeles Times said Wednesday property-rights advocates praised the settlement as a measure of fairness when it comes to protecting endangered species at the expense of agriculture.
Critics, however, said it could trigger more sizable costs to the taxpayers every time the government attempts to enforce the federal Endangered Species Act. The Interior Department told the Times more-recent water agreements include provisions to prevent such claims.
The issue involved a 1990 decision by state water officials to divert water from irrigation channels in the Central Valley to streams that are home to the endangered delta smelt and Chinook salmon and had been lowered by drought.
The growers and the Kern County Water Agency went to court alleging the decision amounted to an unconstitutional seizure of their water rights.
