Friday November 11, 2022
San Francisco Chronicle —
Three of California’s biggest water suppliers, including the city of San Francisco, have reached a deal with the state that calls for reducing their immense consumption of river water but not as much as the state had initially demanded.
The compromise, announced Thursday, is the latest breakthrough in a years-long effort by state regulators to protect flows in California’s once-grand but increasingly overdrawn rivers. The toll on the waterways, where as much as 90% of the water is pumped to cities and farms, has been exacerbated by drought, leaving fabled runs of salmon and other plants and animals at risk of perishing.
Under the new agreement, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission joins two Central Valley water agencies, the Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts, in committing to scale back draws and restore wildlife habitat in the Tuolumne River, one of the state’s most depleted rivers.