Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
Kern County Water Agency
Friant Water Users Authority
San Joaquin Valley Agriculture Industry

NORTH KERN WATER STORAGE DISTRICT:
NEA Provides Litigation and Expert Witness Support for North Kern Water Storage District

"The NEA economists are at the top of the agricultural economics field. Their experience dealing with the concerns of irrigated agriculture, in particular, is unrivaled. Moreover, they back up their experience with timely, well-written materials and courtroom exhibits that are first class. They put in the time to develop well-prepared direct testimony and are invaluable to the attorney preparing to cross examine the opposition’s experts."

Greg Wilkinson, Attorney
Best, Best & Krieger, Riverside, California

Project Highlights
Attorneys for North Kern Water Storage District (NKWSD) retained NEA to provide economics, litigation, and expert witness support in NKWSD’s case against Kern Delta Water District. The litigation concerned the dispute between the two districts over the allocation of water from the Kern River, namely the rights to an average of 61,000 acre-feet (AF) of water annually from the river.

NEA undertook a detailed review of minutes from board meetings over a 40-year span, financial reports detailing purchases and capital expenditures related to development of the district infrastructure, changes in historic crop acreage and production, and related legal documents. NEA also analyzed 40 years of financial statements, in order to document water prices and revenues, costs, and capital expenditures. NEA used the information to prepare detailed reports on the capital investment program undertaken by NKWSD and on the benefits to the local and regional economy of the water utilized by NKWSD for almost 50 years. The reports documented construction activities undertaken by NKWSD to implement its capital investment program, beginning in the early 1950s. The reports also described the agricultural changes that occurred in the NKWSD service area during and following the infrastructure developments, and the associated benefits to the area.

The reports were subsequently entered into the judicial record for the case. Maps, overlays, and tables prepared by NEA’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) staff were also submitted and used during testimony. The displays distilled a complex mass of data and information into easily understood visual exhibits. NEA worked extensively throughout the case with plaintiff’s attorneys to prepare reports, exhibits, and expert witness testimony, and to develop cross-examination of the defendant’s experts.

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