Trump Administration Directs More Central Valley Water to Farms, Prompting Environmental and Legal Pushback

Federal Shift Sends More Central Valley Water South; Critics Warn Of Ecological And Municipal Impacts

The Trump administration has ordered a change to operations of the federally managed Central Valley Project, directing more water to agricultural users in California's Central Valley. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced the revised operating plan on Thursday and said the change takes effect Friday.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the adjustment will help the federal government strengthen California's water resilience. The order implements a January executive order from President Donald Trump calling for increased deliveries to growers and arguing that some environmental protections have limited water supplies for agriculture.

California officials and environmental groups strongly criticized the move, saying larger federal deliveries to farms could reduce the state's flexibility to supply cities and worsen conditions for native fish. The Central Valley Project moves water southward from wetter northern basins through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an estuary that provides crucial habitat for salmon, the endangered delta smelt and other species.

Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources, said the federal and state water systems must operate in concert. She warned that federal changes could force the state to reallocate more water for species protection, potentially limiting deliveries to cities and some farms.

Environmental groups described immediate ecological risks. Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta, said increased pumping would strand delta smelt and juvenile salmon at pumps and could spur harmful algal blooms as temperatures rise, threatening fish, wildlife, pets and people. She also cautioned that declining water quality could depress local property values and harm community economies.

The Bureau of Reclamation rejected assertions that the operational changes would jeopardize endangered species or environmental health.

By design, the Central Valley Project supplies primarily agricultural users, irrigating roughly one-third of California farmland, according to the bureau. The state-run State Water Project operates alongside the federal project and supplies water to cities serving about 27 million Californians. Both systems rely on flows through the Delta to move water across the state.

The Westlands Water District, one of the largest recipients of Central Valley Project deliveries, applauded the decision. Allison Febbo, Westlands' general manager, said the change will help growers support local communities and the nation’s food supply while protecting wildlife.

Conservation advocates warned that existing protections for salmon and other species are already strained. Vance Staplin of the Golden State Salmon Association urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to consider a legal challenge, calling the federal action unlawful. Newsom had previously fought similar federal decisions in court during President Trump's first term; the Biden administration later adopted its own water plan in 2024, which environmental groups described as a modest improvement.

The debate over water allocation intensified earlier this year after wildfires near Los Angeles left some local hydrants with low pressure; President Trump cited those incidents when renewing criticism of California's water policies, though the Central Valley Project does not supply Los Angeles.

Golden reported from Seattle.