The ruling capped six years of litigation by delta property owners, who challenged the state’s right to enter their land without compensation. The ruling overturned a state appeals court decision that favored the delta owners but also gave property owners more rights than they had previously under state law. The California Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for state water authorities to do environmental and geological testing on private land for a proposed project to divert Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water to the south. In a decision written by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the court said state water authorities could proceed with testing — subject to various conditions — on more than 150 properties. Ted Thomas, a spokesman for the California Department of Water Resources, said the ruling was a significant victory for the project.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 21, 2016 22:20 UTC