Napa Water Lawsuit Expands Into Winery Planning Challenge

NAPA VALLEY, CA — A lawsuit filed by Water Audit California against Napa County has expanded from a challenge over a single winery approval into a broader attack on the county's planning, groundwater management, and development review practices.

The nonprofit organization first sued Napa County in Napa County Superior Court in June 2021, alleging the county violated its duties under the Public Trust Doctrine and failed to protect groundwater resources through its planning and permitting decisions.

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The complaint accuses the county of negligent breach of trustee duties and challenges how officials evaluate groundwater impacts from vineyards, wineries, and rural development.

According to the lawsuit, Napa County approved development without adequately understanding available groundwater supplies, failed to sufficiently monitor groundwater extraction, ignored evidence that pumping reduced summer flows in the Napa River, and did not provide the public with enough information about the effects of well permits and land-use decisions.

Water Audit California also argues the county's planning framework systematically underestimates cumulative groundwater impacts.

The lawsuit alleges Napa County routinely approves wineries and vineyards without meaningful basin-wide groundwater analysis, relies on unsupported assumptions during California Environmental Quality Act reviews, evaluates projects individually rather than considering cumulative impacts, and lacks the monitoring needed to determine whether additional development can be sustained.

The legal dispute has continued to shape county land-use decisions in recent years.

Last year, Water Audit California filed another lawsuit seeking to overturn Napa County's approval of Bonny's Vineyard winery in the unincorporated town of Oakville, arguing groundwater pumping associated with the project could reduce flows in Conn Creek and harm fish habitat. The creek runs parallel to Bonny's.

The organization also appealed the Planning Commission's approval of the project to the Napa County Board of Supervisors in 2025, contending environmental review failed to adequately analyze groundwater and water supply impacts.

County officials have repeatedly disputed Water Audit California's allegations, maintaining that Napa County follows state environmental laws and conducts appropriate review of development proposals.

Meanwhile, another high-profile dispute involving Water Audit California reached a different outcome.

Castello di Amorosa, the medieval-style winery near Calistoga, announced that it has settled its dispute with the organization, the Napa Valley Register reported.

Under the agreement, the winery and Water Audit California will work together to study Nash Creek on the property. The partners said the information collected will help guide habitat restoration efforts and future water management decisions, according to the Napa Valley Register.

The settlement stands in contrast to the ongoing litigation involving Napa County, where broader questions remain about groundwater protection, environmental review, and how one of California's premier wine regions balances growth with increasingly limited water resources.