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CRPE Cases

Association of Irritated Residents v. Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board: Forcing the Water Board to do its Job

Tulare County Superior Court

In a recent successful case, CRPE represented the Association of Irritated Residents, DeltaKeeper, and the Sierra Club in a suit to stop the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board from exempting a huge number of animal factories from permitting requirements. The Water Board – the agency that implements state and federal clean water laws – waived the requirement to obtain a water pollution control permit for approximately eight hundred confined animal facilities. Alleging violations of the Water Code and the California Environmental Quality Act, the groups appealed the decision and subsequently went to court. Just two months after the initiation of the case, the Regional Board reversed course and rescinded its decision. The Regional Board released its comprehensive regulatory program in late 2003.

Brent Newell and allies announce CRPE's lawsuit against the state water board.