SACRAMENTO, California — The State Water Resources Control Board handed environmental and fishing groups a surprise loss Friday when it denied their petition for permanent instream flow restrictions on the drought-stricken Shasta River in Northern California.
The denial came as a surprise because both the water agency and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom have said they want to prioritize making some emergency drought rules for rivers permanent this year in order to better insulate the state from recurring drought.
The board already extended the emergency limits it put on the Scott and Shasta rivers during the drought in a December decision, but the temporary rules run out in February 2025.
Environmental groups including the California Coastkeeper Alliance and Save California Salmon requested the board set permanent minimum flow regulations on the Shasta River in a Jan. 17 petition. They argued permanent limits on diversions by local farmers were necessary to protect chinook salmon that are forecast to return in greater numbers to the watershed as four dams come down on the nearby Klamath River.
Jan. 17 petition
