California Farms Forced to Stop Pumping River Water

For a second consecutive week, thousands of California farms have been ordered to stop pumping river water to irrigate their crops

More than 2,700 water-rights holders — mostly farms — along the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Sacramento River have been ordered to stop pumping, said Tim Moran, a spokesman for the State Water Resources Control Board. Last week, more than 1,500 farmers along other river systems in Northern California were forced to stop pumping.

Under California's century-old system, the junior water-rights holders receiving the order must stop pumping from rivers so that those with higher priority, or senior rights, can continue to irrigate. The state has warned senior-rights holders that they may also have to stop their pumping if the drought persists.

This is the second consecutive year that junior water-rights holders have received such orders. Last year, more than 5,000 orders were issued to farms and other water users, officials said.

Gov. Jerry Brown has been criticized for leaving farmers out of tightening regulations that force communities throughout the state to cut back on their water use, Moran said.

Source: The Sacramento Bee

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Taxonomy

• Drought
• Water Supply
• Water Management