State orders 4,500 cities, farms to stop drawing river water, including San Francisco

San Francisco Chronicle / 8-20-21

California regulators began cracking down on water use in the sprawling Sacramento River and San Joaquin River watersheds on Friday, ordering 4,500 farmers, water districts and other landowners, including the city of San Francisco, to stop drawing water in the basins — or face penalties of up to $10,000 a day.

The move comes as the state slides deeper into an extraordinary two-year drought. Lakes, streams and rivers no longer have enough water for everyone who is taking it, and dwindling supplies must be rationed, state regulators say.

The new and unprecedented restrictions are certain to meet resistance and legal challenges. They’ll hit the state’s agricultural industry the hardest, denying river water for fields that have no other water source, from Fresno to the Oregon border. Numerous towns and cities across the state are also being told to halt their draws, and while most have alternative supplies or storage to fall back on, many don’t like having their hands tied.

Friday’s action is the latest in a series of steps the water board has taken to execute the most extensive cuts ever under California’s water rights system. Regulators in June sent letters to thousands of water rights holders, saying there wasn’t enough water to meet their demands, but only now are they starting to take action. Past lawsuits challenging the board’s authority prompted the lengthier and more procedural run-up.

LINK (probable paywall): https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/State-orders-4-500-cities-farms-to-stop-drawing-16401548.php