Rare California water restrictions hit farmers amid dire shortages msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Amid intensifying drought, state water regulators voted Tuesday to enact a drastic emergency order that will bar thousands of Californians primarily farmers from using stream and river water.
California’s complex water rights system is designed to allocate water use during times of shortage and such curtailments, while rare, are not unheard of. But the scope of Tuesday’s order which will apply to thousands of senior water rights across a wide swath of the state is unprecedented, officials said.
While the move has been protested by some farmers, irrigation districts and others, California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross called the decision “a necessary step,” saying the fact that senior water rights holders were included “speaks to the severity of the hydrology and what climate change has presented this year.”
Drought prompts California to halt some water diversions
ADAM BEAM, Associated Press
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1of8FILE - In this June 9, 2021, file photo, the dried, cracked earth of a former wetland that was drained in an effort to prevent an outbreak of avian botulism which occurs in Tulelake, Calif. California regulators are planning to stop thousands of farmers from taking water out of the state s major rivers and streams. The State Water Resources Control Board is considering the extraordinary order because of an historic drought gripping the western United States. The board will vote on the order Aug. 3.Nathan Howard/APShow MoreShow Less
By ADAM BEAM
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) â Some farmers in one of the country s most important agricultural regions will have to stop taking water out of major rivers and streams because of a severe drought that is threatening the drinking water supply for 25 million people, state regulators said Tuesday.
The Water Resources Control Board approved an emergency resolution empowering regulators to halt diversions from the state s two largest river systems. The order could apply to roughly 86% of landowners who have legal rights to divert water from the San Joaquin and Sacramento river watersheds. The remaining 14% could be impacted if things get worse.
California drought prompts state to limit some water diversions siskiyoudaily.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from siskiyoudaily.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.