Water Audit California is suing to make Napa County increase oversight of groundwater pumping for vineyards, wineries, and other uses, claiming that the pumping affects the Napa River.
The lawsuit said the county has a âpublic trustâ duty to care for the river. The idea is that too much groundwater pumping from wells can keep groundwater from seeping into the river during dry months, to the detriment of fish and other aquatic life.
âToday, the Napa River is important for maintaining native aquatic animals because it is the least urbanized of the sizable watersheds directly feeding San Francisco Bay,â the lawsuit said.