The U.S. Supreme Court boosted property rights over concerns about clean water in a May ruling in favor of an Idaho couple who sought to build a house near a lake.

The injunction applies to 24 states that filed a lawsuit. Maine is not among them, but New Hampshire is.

With agriculture using 70% of all water globally, an expert says, irrigation for crops has to be more efficient – as it is in some countries that now use drip irrigation, which saves water.

Officials began distributing water to city residents who for days have struggled as the state capital’s water facility foundered.