The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled to allow the U.S. to continue its plan to fortify irrigation canals on the U.S. side of its border with Mexico to prevent seepage that has been used by farmers across the border in Mexicali Valley. In 2005, two U.S. environmental groups and a Mexican community group sued to stop the concrete lining plan, but the federal court's decision will allow the planned fortification to proceed by lifting the injunction that had previously blocked work on the canal.
The lining project is designed to provide 67,000 acre-feet of water to San Diego County, enough for the home use of 500,000 people.
To read the Court's decision, see Consejo de Desarrollo v. U.S.A.
Coverage of the Decision:
Court backs canal expansion in U.S.-Mexico dispute (San Diego Tribune – Reuters)
Court OKs Water Work Opposed by Mexicans (Guardian – AP)
