SACRAMENTO, California — The Trump administration finalized a plan Thursday to increase the amount of water it pumps out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to farms in the Central Valley, setting up a fresh clash with California over the state’s main water hub.
What happened: The Bureau of Reclamation issued a new record of decision Thursday changing its operational guidelines for the Central Valley Project, a massive system of canals and reservoirs that pumps water out of the sensitive Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to deliver mostly to Central Valley farmers.
The updated rules, in line with a January executive order by President Donald Trump to maximize water deliveries; allow federal pumps to export more water south by removing some environmental protections for endangered fish, including the Delta smelt; and authorizing higher pumping in both wet periods and drier periods. They replace a version of the rules finalized by the Biden administration in its final few weeks.
“With the signing of this Record of Decision, we are delivering on the promise of Executive Order 14181 to strengthen California’s water resilience,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum in a press release. “This updated operations plan reflects our commitment to using the best available science to increase water deliveries while safeguarding the environment and honoring the legacy of the Central Valley Project’s 90 years of service.”
