Senior Rights Holders Ordered To Stop Diverting Water From Rivers
As California’s drought intensifies, on Friday state regulators took their most unprecedented action yet, ordering so-called “senior rights holders” to halt diversions from rivers in the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and delta watersheds, the AP reports. The ban on water pumping is “the first time that the state has forced large numbers of holders of senior-water rights” to curb their water use. The Los Angeles Times noted that Friday’s announcement pertains to senior water rights holders who have rights dating back to between 1903 and 1914, and follows an announcement earlier this Spring halting water pumping from about 9,000 holders of junior water rights. The Times says the effects of the latest order “will vary,” with most large irrigation districts having sufficient water storage for continued use. Additionally, utilities will be able to keep using water for hydropower “as long as the water is returned to the rivers.” And, many ranchers and growers have other groundwater supplies that aren’t affected by the order.
In a related article, the Washington Post reports that “ultra-wealthy” enclaves in California “guzzle five times more water per capita than the statewide average.” As state regulators impose new “water rationing” rules, local officials are reserving the “right to install flow restrictors” as a way to control water usage by “ultra-wealthy customers undeterred by financial penalties.” In response to the restrictions, residents “are feeling aggrieved.”
What This Means For Small Businesses
Small businesses bear the brunt of burdens in difficult times, and across California they’ve suffered since the current drought began. News of ever-tightening water restrictions comes as another worrisome sign that small businesses may continue to be negatively affected by the drought, particularly those in the service and agricultural sectors.
Additional Reading
The New York Times profiled California’s new Water Resources Control Board chair. NFIB previously covered California’s drought.
