Justia Environmental Law Opinion Summaries

In 2008, Pioneer Irrigation District filed suit against the City of Caldwell seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as the removal of urban stormwater discharge conduits constructed by the City without Pioneer's authorization. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of Pioneer. The court held that Pioneer held exclusive interests in its irrigation easements and rights-of-way such that Pioneer could maintain trespass claims against the City. The court also held that I.C. 42-1209 granted Pioneer the power to remove encroachments constructed without its permission that it deemed to unreasonably or materially interfere with its easements and rights-of-way. The district court held that review of certain decisions by the irrigation district would be limited to whether they were arbitrary and capricious or reached in an unreasonable manner. The City moved for permissive appeal, which motion the district court granted. Upon review, the Supreme Court affirmed the district court's decision, except for its holding that irrigation easements and rights-of-way were exclusive interests. View "Pioneer Irrigation v. City of Caldwell" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court considered this appeal of a district court's decision pertaining to the "Snake River Basin Adjudication" which held: (a) that Pocatello could not use its wells as alternate points of diversion for its surface water rights; (b) that it could use its interconnected wells as alternate points of diversion for all of the associated water rights on the condition that doing so would not change the priority date and quantity of water that could be pumped from each well; (c) that one groundwater right was properly classified as for an irrigation purpose; and (d) that Pocatello failed to establish earlier priority dates for two of its groundwater rights. The City of Pocatello submitted an application to the State for a groundwater right, stating the proposed use was to irrigate crops located outside the city. The State challenged the City's claims of pre-existing rights and water access points upon which it would permit the City to make changes to then-current water rights. Upon careful review of the parties briefs and the applicable legal authority, the Supreme Court found sufficient evidence to support the district court's holding, and affirmed its judgment. View "City of Pocatello v. Idaho " on Justia Law