California water to farms, cities reduced to protect Delta smelt
[T]o protect Delta smelt — a nearly extinct fish that’s come to symbolize California’s never-ending fight over water — regulators throttled back the pumps that supply drinking water to 25 million people from Silicon Valley to Orange County and millions of acres of farmland … On Dec. 20, the state and federal managers of the two arena-sized pumping stations near Tracy substantially reduced pumping for two weeks. The decision was made as part of the complex, scientifically-based formulas that govern how much water can be pumped while protecting fish like the smelt.
Related article: