The Federal Judge found for the environmentalists (and the local Indian tribe who jumped on the law suite late in the day), claiming that the level of water in the lake had to be maintained at the absolute full level in order to "protect" the sucker fish. Everyone there knew that the sucker fish could survive if the lake was drained to mud...so we fought the ruling up to an including standing against armed officers who took the head gates away from us.
Rather than stand with the legal owners, and rather than tell the Judge they would not uphold an unconstitutional and illegal "taking", the new Bush administration enforced the order.
It took several months of civil disobedience, which, miraculously stayed peaceful, to get the Bush administration (summer 2001) to recognize their deteriorating political situation over it and stand with the farmers.
Folks can read the original eye witness reports I made at the link to the site above. I later wrote a book about it, available at this link:
I remember that fight. DC Chapter was at the White House gates. We thought the fight was over after we counted the silverware.
Just proves that we must be vigilant at all times.