False claims over a wealthy California couple owning a vast amount of California's water are surfacing online. While the couple does own water rights in the state, claims they are hoarding the supply aren't true.

Los Angeles

More than a thousand structures have been destroyed and lives lost as wildfires sweep across parts of Los Angeles.

LA Wildfires

California is currently facing false claims suggesting that a wealthy couple owns a significant portion of the state's water supply. Recent posts have circulated online alleging that Stuart and Linda Resnick own more than half of California's water and are hoarding it to the detriment of firefighting efforts. However, these claims have been debunked. The Resnicks possess rights to utilize 57% of the Kern Water Bank, one of many water sources they have rights to in California. The water bank stores water in underground reservoirs to be used during drought periods.

In California, water rights do not equate to water ownership. Holders like the Resnicks have rights to use the water but do not own the actual water. Furthermore, despite the allegations, the city of Los Angeles, situated 150 miles from the Kern Water Bank, generally does not rely on its water. Reservoirs in Southern California are currently at or above historical averages, underscoring the ample water storage available in the region. 

The California Department of Water Resources clarifies that if water use is deemed wasteful or improperly managed, rights could be revoked. Meanwhile, the most significant factors influencing the spread of wildfires are unrelated to water shortages. Former chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board, Felicia Marcus, stated that the scale of the fires exceeds the capacity of existing urban water systems.



Who owns California's water?

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, it's almost mind-blowing to think that people would see that need right there in their own community and some would choose to take advantage. We'll continue following this one here. CBS News and our confirmed team will continue to drill down on this. We also want to drill down on a headline from recent days regarding something you may have read about or seen on your social media feeds. A wealthy California couple accused of hoarding water. Water that was badly needed during those tense moments fighting the destructive and deadly California fires. Melissa Mattani, who is an executive producer with the CBS News confirmed team, did a really deep dive on who owns California's water. Watch. Recent posts alleging that one wealthy LA couple, Stuart and Linda Resnick, own more than half the water in California are circulating online. Now the couple owned the Wonderful Food Company, a large food producer. Several posts like these allege they've been hoarding water needed for firefighting efforts. But these claims are not true and here's why. Across California there are systems called water banks. They're underground reservoirs that collect water during rainier years so that it can be used during periods of drought. The Resnicks own the right to use 57% of the water in the Kern Water Bank, which is located about 150 miles from Los Angeles. Now the bank can hold up to 500 billion gallons of water for use by farms and some local municipalities. Plus a spokesperson for the Wonderful Company told us the Kern Water Bank is one of numerous water sources the Resnicks own the rights to. They say they only tap into it during dry years. However, the key phrase here is water rights. In California, water rights holders don't own the actual water. They own the right to use the water. The city of LA doesn't typically use water from the Kern Water Bank, but it could during a severe drought. Additionally, according to the California Department of Water Resources, if the state felt the water was being wasted or misused, it could revoke access. So how does the water the Resnicks own affect the fires we're seeing today? It doesn't. While there are legitimate questions about the county's preparedness, the fires themselves aren't spreading because LA doesn't have enough water in storage. In fact, California's Water Department says reservoirs in the south of the state are currently at or above historical averages. The former chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board, Felicia Marcus, believes there are so many fires and they cover such a large part of LA that an urban water system just can't handle the demand. Marcus also told us that, quote, there are issues with the water rights system in California, they're just not related to this fire.

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