News Feature | January 24, 2025

Trump Administration Reverses California Water Rules Amid Controversy

By Riley Kleemeier

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Just one month after the Biden administration announced long-awaited water delivery rules for California, newly inaugurated President Trump put forth a presidential action to develop a revised plan within 90 days. The President’s new directive, titled “Putting People Over Fish: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern California,” orders the reinstatement of regulations drafted during his first administration.

The rules set forth by Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom, announced on December 20, 2024, increased deliveries for major urban water suppliers and farms, though they did decrease for some farmers. Once the regulations went into place, they were divisive amongst environmental groups. While some praised the new rules as being “the best of several alternatives,” others concluded that salmon, specifically, would be harmed by the new regulations.

With the new directive, the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior are instructed to develop a plan within 90 days to increase water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California and San Joaquin Valley farms. In the memo, the President calls the Biden-Newsom rules a “catastrophic halt” to his Administration’s original plans.

While Trump says his plan must “immediately be reimplemented,” some experts are unsure of his intentions. “It’s not really a solution, it’s a signal to his supporters that he’s trying to do something,” says Fresno State University Professor Tom Holyoke, per USA Today.

In furthering his defense for the new directive, President Trump also blamed the Biden-Newsom rules for the water shortages that have been amplified by the L.A. wildfires. “Now the ultimate price is being paid,” he said in a Truth Social post, according to Cal Matters. “I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA. He is to blame for this.”

Despite criticisms, many remain hopeful. “We are grateful to see that the water supply issues facing California are a priority of the Trump Administration,” says Allison Febbo, Westlands Water Districts’ general manager, per Cal Matters.

As the 90-day deadline progresses, the outcomes of these policy shifts remain uncertain. The debate over balancing water supply demands with environmental conservation will undoubtedly continue to shape California’s future.