A state appeals court has restored the authority of California water regulators to direct reductions in cold-weather sprays by grape growers and other waterfront farmers along the Russian River that have led to deaths of endangered species of salmon.
A Mendocino County judge previously ruled that the state Water Resources Control Board lacked authority to restrict longtime users of river water. The First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco disagreed Monday, saying the board has the power to prohibit growers from “using water in an unreasonable manner” and to decide whether the protection of wildlife habitat outweighs growers’ commercial needs.
Article by: Bob Egelko
Published by: SFGate.com (Online version of the San Francisco Chronicle)
Published: Tuesday, June 17 2014
Listen as our Executive Director, Scott Greacen, and our Bay Area Director, David Keller, discuss this ruling.