State Lawmakers Propose Buying Out Farmers' Water Rights To Spare Delta

Sacramento CA

06 June, 2022

11:04 AM

Description

CBS San Francisco June 6, 2022 After decades of fighting farmers in court over how much water they can take out of California's rivers and streams, some state lawmakers want to try something different: use taxpayer money to buy out farmers. A proposal in the state Senate would spend up to $1.5 billion to buy "senior water rights" that allow farmers to take as much water as needed from the state's rivers and streams to grow their crops. If state officials owned those rights, they could leave the water in the rivers to benefit endangered species of salmon and other fish. California has been mired in drought for most of the last two decades, prompting intense scrutiny of the state's complex water system and how it might be modified to ensure steady supplies during exceptionally dry periods — including a separate state proposal that would pay farmers to grow fewer crops to save water. CBS Local Digital Media personalizes the global reach of CBS-owned and operated television and radio stations with a local perspective.