The State Water Resources Control Board has denied a petition to establish a minimum flow standard on the Shasta River.
A coalition of environmental groups behind the petition claimed the board has failed in its duty to protect the river against diverters. The board established an emergency unimpaired flow standard at the height of the most recent drought and maintained it for three years. But the regulation expired last year as the state was deluged with rain and subsequent flooding. The groups blamed irrigators for water levels in the river dropping afterward.
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In response to the petition, the board reasoned that a more flexible approach is needed. It noted that staff have long been considering options to potentially establish a permanent flow regime and that they have been working closely with locals on voluntary efforts and cooperative solutions.
