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On Thursday, a federal judge ruled against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, saying the government agency failed to answer AquaAlliance, an environmental group’s, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. AquaAlliance requested information on well owners, to determine if owners were illegally diverting water from the Sacramento River watershed.
According to the judge, privacy is not an issue; the agency can’t keep the names of well owners secret.
“Indeed, the bureau offers nothing more than conclusory allegations as to the existence of a substantial privacy interest – it cites no cases on this issue,” U.S. District Judge Ketanji Jackson wrote in the decision.
In addition to litigation on the federal level, AquaAlliance sought a writ of mandate in Sacramento Superior Court. The group claims the California Department of Water Resources, the state regulator, also failed to comply with a California Public Records Act request.
