California Proposes $1.5 Million Fine For Water District Accused Of Illegally Taking Water During Drought

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CBS/AP) - The California water board has proposed the first-of-its-kind, $1.5 million fine for water-taking during the drought.

The move announced Monday targets a group of Central Valley farmers.

The State Water Resources Control Board said it's proposing the first fines of this kind for a water district with century-old claims to water.

The so-called senior water rights holders are generally protected from mandatory cutbacks.

RELATED: California Farmers Worry Senior Water Rights Cuts In Drought Could Be Devastating

The board says the Byron Bethany Irrigation District illegally took water from a pumping plant after getting a warning that there was not enough water.

The district serves farmers in three counties in the agriculture-rich Central Valley and a residential community of 12,000 people.

District spokeswoman Erin Gilhuly did not have an immediate comment. The district has sued the state over water cuts.

(Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the district's name as Bryon-Bethany.)

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