Actor Tom Selleck is being sued by a California water district after it alleged he stole truckloads of water from a public hydrant and had it brought to his private ranch during a severe drought in the state.

The Calleguas Municipal Water District in Ventura County claims it spent nearly $22,000 to hire a private investigator, who documented the alleged thefts for nearly two years. According to the suit, a tanker truck filled up at a hydrant more than a dozen times and hauled water to the 60-acre ranch Selleck owns in Westlake Village, where he reportedly grows avocados.

The district claimed it had sent the actor previous cease-and-desist letters to halt the unlawful deliveries, but that trucks were spotted on four separate occasions filling up as recently as March and delivering to the ranch, It is unclear how much water was allegedly taken.

The lawsuit was filed after California communities were ordered to cut water use by 25 percent compared with 2013 levels due to the ongoing four-year drought that has been plaguing the area.The area where Selleck's land is located is under mandatory cutbacks as high as 36 percent from 2013.

According to the BBC, the location of the hydrant the water was taken from was in a different area than the water district which actually serves Selleck's ranch.

Selleck and his wife, Jillie, who was also named in the suit, have not returned requests for comment on the situation.

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