Thursday Top of the Scroll: California debates what to do with water from recent storms
Weeks after powerful storms dumped 32 trillion gallons of rain and snow on California, state officials and environmental groups in the drought-ravaged state are grappling with what to do with all of that water. State rules say when it rains and snows a lot in California, much of that water must stay in the rivers to act as a conveyer belt to carry tens of thousands of endangered baby salmon into the Pacific Ocean. But this week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked state regulators to temporarily change those rules. He says the drought has been so severe it would be foolish to let all of that water flow into the ocean and that there’s plenty of water for the state to take more than the rules allow while still protecting threatened fish species.
Related articles:
- Natural Resources Defense Council: Blog: A ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ Card for Stealing the Delta’s Water
- State Water Contractors: News release: State Water Contractors respond to Governor Newsom’s water resilience order