IID defends itself over Abatti lawsuit regarding water rights

CBS 13's April Hettinger looks into how the IID is responding to the U.S. Supreme Court

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) says it is standing its ground on its belief the waters of the Colorado River belong to all the people of the Imperial Valley.

There's a chance the Michael Abatti versus IID case might be heard at the U.S. Supreme court level, but the IID doesn't think it will make it that far after it was rejected at the California state level.

Robert Schettler, public informations officer for the IID, says it plans to defend that the water rights belong to all of the people of the Imperial Valley, claiming that farmers are only considering their need for water.

"The opposition, or Mr. Abatti's team apparently believes that there is a right of some kind tied to the land," Schettler said.

The IID came up with the equitable distribution plan to evenly disperse the Colorado River water, but some agriculture companies in the area argue that the allocation of water isn't fair.

The Imperial County Farm Bureau aligns with farmer Michael Abatti's views that the water rights should be tied to the land.

The IID now lays out how it will respond to the U.S. Supreme Court's request for comment by May 26th.

"IID will respond, and we're going to continue to maintain our position that, you know, the rights of the water held and trust by the district," Schettler stated. "No single user owns the right but everybody does."

This lawsuit has been years in the making but the IID says it will continue to fairly distribute water to the Imperial Valley.