Gavin Newsom pledged to break through the “status quo” of California water politics, plagued by decades of litigation and impasse. The State Water Project, which supplies Southern California with delta water, has historically adhered to federal Endangered Species Act protections for delta smelt, chinook salmon and other imperiled species. That would create a practical nightmare in the Northern California delta, which serves as the center of the state’s vast water supply system. And both reclamation law and the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act dictate that the federal water project meet state water quality standards. More changes are possible before fish and wildlife issues the permit this spring, said water resources director Karla Nemeth.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 23, 2020 18:00 UTC