This complaint comes from Edwards Woodruff vs. North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company court case, an important milestone in U.S. environmental history. In 1882, wheat farmer Edward Woodruff filed suit against the North Bloomfield Mining Company on behalf of local farmers over the agricultural impact of hydraulic mining in California’s Central Valley.
In his landmark decision, Judge Lorenzo Sawyer ruled in favor of the farmers, recognizing the damage caused to agriculture and state infrastructure. The ruling placed regulations on the mining industry and prohibited the dumping of debris in waterways.
Notably, this case is considered the nation’s first environmental law.
