Climate Changed
California Will Curtail Water to Farms and Cities Next Year as Drought Worsens
- State says only water for health and safety can be supplied
- California is the nation’s largest agricultural producer
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California plans to dramatically curtail water delivery next year from its network of canals, pipelines and reservoirs to 27 million Californians and three-quarters of a million acres of farmland because of a two-year drought.
The California Department of Water Resources said it will prioritize delivery from the State Water Project only for health and safety needs, to maintain salinity control in key wetlands, to protect endangered species and to put water in reserve. That means farmers won’t get any water from the system they had applied for unless conditions improve.