Fresno drops suit over Friant-Kern Canal repairs. Why the city doesn’t want a legal battle
The Fresno City Council voted Thursday to drop its lawsuit against Friant Water Authority.
The council voted 5-1 to drop the suit, filed earlier this month in Fresno County Superior Court. Councilmember Garry Bredefeld cast the lone “no” vote, and Councilmember Mike Karbassi was absent.
The council previously voted to sue the water authority so Fresno water ratepayers wouldn’t be on the hook to pay for repairs to the Friant-Kern Canal needed because Tulare County farmers pumped too much groundwater, causing subsidence.
But earlier this week, the Bureau of Reclamation, which owns Millerton Lake and the Friant-Kern canal, issued a letter to the city saying the city’s water contract required it to pay for operations and maintenance to the canal.
If the city pursued litigation, it likely would be long and cost more than the $2.5 million Friant Water was seeking for repairs.
Councilmember Miguel Arias told The Bee’s editorial board he realized it would better serve Fresno ratepayers to drop the lawsuit.
Bredefeld said he didn’t agree with dropping the lawsuit because he maintained the belief that Fresno ratepayers shouldn’t pay to fix the canal since they didn’t cause the problem.
Mayor Jerry Dyer said the issue has been delicate since the city’s relationship with Friant Water is valuable.
“However, we also have a responsibility to our city of Fresno ratepayers,” he said. “We advocated for those ratepayers by seeking a higher authority to determine the city of Fresno’s financial responsibility. Now that we have been provided that decision by the Bureau of Reclamation, we are more than willing to pay our fair share and avoid any needless expenses associated with litigation.”
The Bee reached out to Friant Water for comment.
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 2:56 PM.