SANTA BARBARA (CN) - When a lake was discovered under the Slippery Rock Ranch near Santa Barbara three years ago, the owners quickly realized the aquifer was more precious than the avocado trees above it - and it had a wealthy neighbor willing to pay for it.
But with California in the throes of its worst drought on record, the Goleta Water District took exception to ranch owners pumping water from Goleta and selling it to the town of Montecito. And when the district filed suit seeking an injunction in February, a water war was on.
"We're not rolling the dice here in Goleta and hoping it will rain," said John McInnes, general manager of the Goleta Water District, who said Goleta residents don't want water leaving their community.
"This is their water, and they've invested millions and millions of dollars in the basin. That was all done so in this time of drought that water would be available to them."
But the Slippery Rock owners - including the man who created the "Law & Order" TV series - say they can do what they please with the water because it's not connected to Goleta's water supply.
"We did a fairly extensive hydrogeologic study," said attorney Steve Amerikaner, who plans to file a response to the lawsuit at the end of the month.
More than a year ago, Gov. Jerry Brown asked Californians to reduce their water use by 20 percent in his Emergency Drought Proclamation. Now the state is in its fourth year of drought, and some communities, like Montecito, have enacted mandatory water restrictions.
When owners of the Slippery Rock Ranch discovered it had 200,000 acre-feet of water underneath its trees in the Goleta foothills, they realized they had a body of water as big as nearby Lake Cachuma, one of Goleta's water sources.
Knowing nearby communities could use the water, Amerikaner said, the owners offered to sell it to four water districts in Santa Barbara County. Two were interested, Amerikaner said -- Goleta and Montecito. When talks with Goleta broke down, he said, that left Santa Barbara's southern neighbor.
"Montecito was both interested and reasonable in what they were expecting," he said.
Montecito, a small community of 8,900, is one of the nation's wealthiest, with residents who have included Oprah Winfrey, George Lucas, Steve Martin, Drew Barrymore and Jeff Bridges.
The 1906 mansion used in the movie "Scarface" is on the market in Montecito for $35 million. A website lists an Italian-style villa for rent at $3,500 a night, noting: "There's plenty of room on the polo field for your helicopter should you need a place to park it."
One of Slippery Rock's owners, Dick Wolf, also lives in Montecito, Amerikaner confirmed. Wolf is an Emmy-winning TV writer and producer, who wrote for "Hill Street Blues" and produced "Miami Vice" before creating the massively popular "Law & Order" series.
Being a Montecito resident, Wolf is keenly aware of the bleak water situation, according to the Montecito Water District's website.
"Unlike other local communities, Montecito does not have a robust groundwater basin," the site states. "With few wells, we are almost completely reliant on surface water supplies. Therefore, we are actively pursuing all leads on supplemental water supplies, including desalination."