…Tuesday, the State Water Resources Control Board took action to protect the salmon, unanimously extending the region’s expired emergency drought measures. Ground and surface water for farms will be restricted for another year if flows in the Shasta and Scott rivers dip below minimum thresholds. State officials say these measures are likely to kick in next year. Water board chair Joaquin Esquivel said action is needed because “a fish emergency” remains on the rivers. “Time isn’t our friend,” he said at a previous meeting in August. “There is an urgency.” The water board also is investigating the possibility of permanent requirements to keep more water in the rivers, after the Karuk Tribe and the fishing industry petitioned the state for stronger protections. That decision, however, could take years.

Related articles: 

• Marin Independent Journal: Marin rain could spur salmon activity
• Sonoma County Gazette: $2 million grant awarded to Sonoma Water to help salmon, steelhead in Russian River
• CA Department of Fish and Wildlife: News release - Proposition 1 restoration grant programs