Federal Judge Dismisses Key Pieces Of Tribe’s Claim Against Local Water Districts

A federal judge has dismissed portions of a yearslong lawsuit brought by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians against the Coachella Valley’s local water districts, ruling against the tribe’s attempt to quantify its rights to groundwater. The judge ruled Friday that the tribe’s access to water has not been sufficiently harmed to adjudicate the matter.  The ruling strikes a blow to the tribe’s sweeping 2013 lawsuit aimed at asserting greater control of the groundwater beneath its land.