Walnut farmers file $15-million claim against California for Oroville Dam crisis
Two Butte County farmers have filed a $15-million claim against the state of California, claiming they lost valuable walnut trees as a result of the Oroville Reservoir crisis in February.
The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, was filed Wednesday with the state Department of General Services. In it, JEM Farms and Chandon Ranch allege that they lost dozens of acres of walnut tree farmland because state officials were negligent and ignored structural issues at Oroville Dam.
The farmers say they lost $1 million worth of land, and $14 million in projected revenue over the next 50 years.
“There was a certainty of failure,” attorney Niall McCarthy said of the reservoir. “It wasn’t a matter of if; it was a matter of when.”
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-oroville-claim-lawsuit-20170803-story.html
