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<br />l~ .. ';. ~. 01' II <br />JUv..... <br /> <br />of which is tied up in land and water rights. <br /> <br />"The Owens Valley experience instilled great fear in the minds of <br /> <br />Californians living in other potential areas of origin. They feared that the <br /> <br /> <br />continued growth of the Los Angeles metropolitan region and similar areas <br /> <br />would result in the eventual loss of their water rights, drying up of their <br /> <br />lands, and destruction of their businesses. In the 1920's they attempted to <br /> <br />protect themselves by obtaining legislation permanently reserving to areas of <br /> <br />origin a percentage of local water supplies. These efforts failed, but in <br /> <br />1931', the so-called County of Origin Law was enacted, offering some <br />protection to those sparsely populated areas. <br /> <br />"It was in the aftermath of the Owens Valley experience that plans were <br /> <br />designed to transport water from the more abundant rivers of the northern <br /> <br />Sacramento Valley to the semi-arid portions of the San Joaquin Valley. To <br /> <br />carry out this plan the California legislature enacted the Feigenbaum Act in <br /> <br />1927, authorizing the state, through its Director of Finance, to file <br /> <br />applications for the appropriation of all unappropriated water in the state <br /> <br />needed for development. Such filings were therefore made, principally in <br /> <br />1927, 1939, 1951, and 1957. The residents of the northern area thereafter <br /> <br />became deeply concerning that the proposed transfer would deprive them of <br /> <br />water needed for future growth. Their concern produced a 1931 amendment <br /> <br /> <br />to the Feigenbaum Act, restricting the State Resources Control Board from <br /> <br />releasing any state filing or assigning any state appropriation which in the <br /> <br />judgment of the Board would 'deprive the county in which such appropriated <br /> <br />water originates, of any such water necessary for the development of such <br /> <br />country.' This provision was subsequently referred to as the County of <br /> <br />-17- <br />