By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights Water District has filed a second lawsuit in two years against the San Juan Water District.
The suit, filed April 22 in Sacramento Superior court, alleges the San Juan Water District approved an agreement to sell and transfer up to 6,000 acre-feet of water between April 2026 and February 2027 to Sacramento Suburban Water District without conducting the environmental review required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
The San Juan Water District is the wholesale water provider for the Citrus Heights Water District.
Citrus Heights Water District acknowledged this as the second legal enforcement action taken to “hold SJWD accountable” for violating CEQA regulations, according to an April 24 press release from the district.
The District’s newest lawsuit focuses on the loss of and potential harmful impacts of not doing an environmental review.
“This water was originally secured on behalf of our customers—it is a critical part of our water supply, especially during drought years when other sources are cut back,” said Board President Caryl Sheehan. “San Juan simply cannot transfer our water to agencies outside the wholesale service area without following the law.”
The Citrus Heights Water District lists harmful impacts that could result if environmental studies are skipped, including groundwater quality and depletion as “reduced surface water deliveries drive greater reliance on groundwater pumping,” as well as interference with groundwater recharge, and water supply reliability for Citrus Heights Water District customers, particularly during drought years.
San Juan Water District held a special board meeting on April 27, with two closed sessions listed on the agenda to discuss ongoing litigation with the Citrus Heights Water District.
In April 2024, Citrus Heights Water District also jointly filed a suit alongside Fair Oaks Water District, claiming that a 2023 rate increase proposed by San Juan Water District illegally overcharges Citrus Heights and Fair Oaks customers.
An April 10, 2024, release alleges that the SJWD board of directors approved a rate increase in December 2023, despite Director Pam Tobin “urging more coordination” with other local city water districts.
Court records show the two water districts filed a “Petition for Writ of Mandate” against the San Juan Water District on April 10, 2024.
Sacramento Superior Court documents show that an Oct. 7, 2024, Minute Order from the court explained the “significant differences between civil and mandate proceedings, including the lack of a ‘trial.'”
After being denied a third time by the Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, the petitioners filed a request again to set a trial date with Sacramento Superior Court. The court has denied the request, according to a March 2, 2026 minute order document from judicial officer James P. Arguelles.
“As the Court has already informed Petitioners, “trials” are not available in mandate proceedings. If the parties request a hearing on the merits of the petition for writ of mandate, they may submit a revised Stipulation and Order,” Arguelles wrote.
San Juan Water District has not yet published a response to the most recently filed lawsuit against them, as of Friday, May 1.
