Casitas Municipal Water District v. United States, 543 F.3d 1276 (Fed. Cir. 2008)

(defendant’s diversion of water for wildlife protection purposes (endangered steelhead) constitutes compensable taking – plaintiff, not state of California, owns the water at issue; defendant’s argument that water was not taken but was merely regulated, rejected; however, plaintiff must pay for installation of fish ladder as part of operational and maintenance costs of running the diversion in accordance with prior contract; estimated that water right at issue worth $80 million).