Gavin Newsom Issues Order to ‘Consider Modifying’ Releases of Water for Fish

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) issued an executive order Monday that directs the state to “consider modifying” ongoing releases of water from reservoirs to save fish in the California Delta rather than storing it.

Newsom’s executive order on Feb. 13 reads, in part:

To ensure adequate water supplies for purposes of health, safety, the environment, or drought resilient water supplies, the Water Board shall consider modifying requirements for reservoir releases or diversion limitations in Central Valley Project or State Water Project facilities to: (i) conserve water upstream later in the year in order to protect cold water pools for salmon and steelhead, (ii) enhance instream conditions for fish and wildlife, (iii) improve water quality, (iv) protect carry-over storage, (v) ensure minimum health and safety water supplies, or (vi) provide opportunities to maintain or to expand water supplies north and south of the Delta. The Water Board shall require monitoring and evaluation of any such changes to inform future actions.

Newsom’s order comes after residents and lawmakers complained that too much of the water that fell on the state in recent winter storms is being allowed to run out to sea.

As Breitbart News reported, about 95% of the water was not captured, despite urgent water needs and an ongoing drought.

For the past 15 years, environmentalists have succeeded in convincing courts and the state’s Democratic politicians to prioritize fish species over farmers and municipal water users in water allocations.

Enough rain fell on the state in late December and early January to supply the state’s needs for 10 years. Newsom reacted late last month by increasing allocations from the state water project from 5% to 30%.

The language of Newsom’s order is mild enough to give state water authorities plenty of leeway — enough, in fact, to do nothing differently after they “consider” modifications to the current water allocation system.

Still, environmental groups are unhappy about Newsom’s recent order, according to CalMatters, calling it “a breakdown of law and order,” and claiming Newsom has “put his thumbs on the scale in favor of extinction.”

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.