California water regulators approved a sweeping, yet controversial plan to manage the use of water in the state’s rivers on Thursday, with the goal of halting the ecological decline of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Known as the Bay Delta Plan, the years-in-the-making policy lays out new terms for how much river water can be taken for cities and farms, from the Bay Area to Southern California, so enough is left to flow to the delta, a vast estuary and water supply hub for 30 million people. The plan, backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is centered on a novel arrangement that has spurred endless debate: Urban and agricultural water agencies can avoid the strictest of water regulations by agreeing to help restore overburdened rivers. The agreed-upon restoration work is seen as a way to win buy-in for the plan while improving river health, and ultimately the state of the delta.

Other Bay-Delta news:

• Daily Republic (Fairfield, Calif.): State adopts Delta Plan with mixed water quality strategies
• Contra Costa News (Calif.): Tribes and environmental groups slam State Water Board’s anticipated adoption of updated Bay-Delta Plan