On Jan. 31, the California Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld a Riverside County Superior Court ruling that the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) is required to reimburse to non-agricultural customers a minimum of $17 million. On March 12, CVWD filed an appeal with the California Supreme Court. In what has been dubbed “the canal water rates case,” the court found that the water district illegally charged this group more than its agricultural customers for the delivery of water via the Coachella Canal during the CVWD’s 2020, 2021 and 2022 fiscal years. According to the court, the plaintiff, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA), established that the water district was charging agricultural businesses $34.32 per acre-foot during these years, while non-agricultural customers—primarily single-family residence customers—were charged $102.12 per acre-foot.