UPDATE: The cutback earned approval from state officials, reports The New York Times.
Dive Brief:
- Farmers holding senior rights to water await a response to their proposal to voluntarily reduce their own water consumption if they can be spared harsher mandatory cutbacks later on.
- Senior water-rights holders have been spared from mandatory cutbacks thus far, but those cutbacks are soon coming, according to California regulators.
- These farmers would have a deadline of June 1 to propose how they will reduce their water consumption by 25% during the typically rain-free four-month period leading into September if the deal goes through.
Dive Insight:
As of earlier this week, about 94% of California is already suffering from severe drought or worse. Due to a record dry winter season, the amount of snowpack to melt and run off into California's rivers, reservoirs, and irrigation canals won't be sufficient.
The governor has already mandated 25% water cuts for the rest of the state and smaller farmers, and while the drought continues to worsen, it may not be long before deeper cutbacks come into play.