State moves toward higher flows on Tuolumne and nearby rivers. Irrigators vow a fight
The state is moving ahead with its proposal to boost flows on the Tuolumne and nearby rivers, to the dismay of irrigation districts and San Francisco. The reservoir releases are needed to help fish and other wildlife on tributaries to the San Joaquin River, two cabinet secretaries said in a letter Thursday, Oct. 20. The water users contend that the releases would take too much from farms and cities supplied by the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced rivers. They have instead sought “voluntary agreements” that would increase reservoir releases to some extent while enhancing fish habitat in other ways, such as restoring spawning gravel for salmon.
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