Items Tagged with 'curtailing senior water rights'

The decision closes a contentious chapter in California's water wars and ends an environmental push to pass aggressive reforms to the water rights systems.

While California is clear of drought, agriculture has not escaped the regulatory spotlight, especially for farmers and ranchers along the Scott and Shasta river watersheds.

The ruling sets a limit on the water board’s authority. But the agency retains several regulatory tools for curtailing senior water rights, and lawmakers could add more.

The Newsom administration is drafting an emergency regulation to curtail senior water rights for thousand of farmers who depend on deliveries through the Delta.

With an emergency order for the Russian River watershed, the state water board revived a tool that several members cautioned is a blunt but necessary instrument.

Farm groups worry about a repeat of the economic losses suffered in the valley during the last drought.