The case currently has more than 700 litigants and 27 attorneys. Both sides agree that whoever wins priority water rights controls the others financial future. If the farmers win the lawsuit, the city could have to pay for another source of water during a time of need. If the city wins paramount rights to the water, the farmers believe they would end up paying for what they have received free for years. In the Santa Maria Valley, as in California, water rights can be a very valuable commodity.
Water equals lots of money.
The farmers assert that if they don't claim their right to the water through litigation now, they will lose all rights to the water in the future. The city counters with a claim of superior rights over the landowners, and says that in a time of drought groundwater rights will be crucial. In a state known for its water conspiracies, each side casts a suspicious eye on the other, claiming that the opposition is attempting to bank the water to sell to the highest bidder. It has been rumored that a settlement between the city and the district is close. That is due, in part, to a major state supreme court case regarding groundwater rights being heard June 5.