Central Basin Municipal Water District v. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

In a matter before the Superior Court of California, the Central Basin Municipal Water District (Central Basin) alleged that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) was attempting to subvert the concept of environmental justice by issuing a regional water allocation plan that arbitrarily imposed new and significant penalties on poorer, established communities that historically have conserved water. MWD's proposed plan favored more affluent, expanding communities with growing water demands. Central Basin counsel retained Analysis Group to assess the impact of the proposed plan on water distribution and the environment. We prepared a report assessing the environmental justice impacts of the plan and evaluating whether it was consistent with the water utilities' statutory entitlement to preferential water rights and the California Environmental Quality Act (1970).