Ammon News - Stewart and Lynda Resnick, a billionaire couple who own around 60% of an important California water resource, have come under intense criticism for using more water than every home in Los Angeles combined, with critics arguing that their actions may be hindering efforts to contain the city's ongoing wildfires.

The Resnicks, California's wealthiest farming family, with a $13 billion fortune, have come under renewed criticism for their alleged overuse of water during Los Angeles' worst wildfires in history, according to the UK's Daily Mail.

The controversy traces back to 1994, when their advisors played a key role in the Monterey Plus Agreement, a deal that transferred the taxpayer-funded Kern Water Bank from public ownership to private control.

Originally designed to ensure a stable water supply during droughts, the bank is now seen as a tool benefiting private interests.

Amid California's devastating wildfires, critics are highlighting this shift, arguing that it compromises the state's ability to manage water resources in times of crisis.

The family owns 185,000 acres of farmland and holds a major stake in the Kern Water Bank.

Their Wonderful Company, which produces Pom Wonderful, Fiji Water and Wonderful Pistachios, consumes around 150 billion gallons of water annually for its farmland, according to Forbes.

The Resnicks control 57% of the Kern Water Bank, one of California's largest underground water storage facilities, which is designed to help manage droughts. They have come under criticism, particularly during the 2011-2017 California drought, for selling water back to local governments and profiting from a resource initially meant for public use.

A 2016 report in Mother Jones magazine revealed that the Resnicks' farms used more water in some years than Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area combined. Daily Sabah