The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday ordered an irrigation district in Nevada to return more water to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

The court previously determined that a gauge on the Truckee River siphoned off too much water from the tribe. The miscalculation covers the years 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979, as had been stated in an April 2010 ruling in the case, plus the years 1973, 1976, 1983 and 1986, as stated in the new decision.

"It now appears that our understanding of the scope of the gauge error claim was mistaken and that the government was claiming the gauge error calculation had affected the flow measurement in other years as well," Judge Mary Schroeder wrote for the court.

The 9th Circuit remanded the matter to the federal district court to determine how much water the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District owes to the tribe.

Get the Story:
Court's Correction in Water Case Favors Tribe (Courthouse News Service 7/22)
District Must Pay Back Water Taken from Lake (Courthouse News Service 4/21/2010)

9th Circuit Decisions:
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe v. Board of Directors (July 22, 2013)
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe v. Board of Directors (July 22, 2013)
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe v. Board of Directors (April 20, 2010)