FRESNO, California — A former California water official has pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal water in a deal with federal prosecutors in the state’s crop-rich Central Valley.
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that 78-year-old Dennis Falaschi, former head of the Panoche Water District, entered the plea in federal court in Fresno. He was also guilty of filing a false tax return.
Falaschi was accused in a case alleging that more than $25 million worth of water was stolen over two decades when it was siphoned from a federal irrigation canal through a secret pipe and sold to farmers and other water districts. The Panoche Water District provides irrigation to agricultural lands in Fresno and Merced counties, largely through the federal Delta-Mendota Canal.
Authorities said in court documents that Falaschi was not the only one taking water, but did not specify who else was involved. They estimated that Falaschi stole less than $3.5 million worth of water, with a small portion of what they initially claimed stolen.
The case comes as California begins a yearslong effort to conserve water use by passing a landmark law to regulate groundwater pumping, encouraging urban users to replace thirsty lawns with more drought-friendly landscaping and boosting efforts to increase water storage to help the state navigate projected water flows. dry years ahead.
The state decided to reduce groundwater use after overpumping prompted farmers to drill deeper for water and left some rural wells dry. The prospect of inflating the borders is worrying California farmers, who grow much of the country’s fresh produce.
Falaschi, who has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in any additional investigations, is expected to be sentenced in September. He declined to speak to the newspaper after Tuesday’s hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Barton also declined to comment.