Much of the crisis is caused by climate breakdown, but decades of overuse have made issues worse as larger shares of water are diverted to supply agricultural land and urban consumption. California water authorities have been slow to implement key rules even though they are required by law to review the regulations every three years. Key updates have lagged for decades.

Now, a coalition of Indigenous nations, frontline communities and environmentalists has come together, hoping to spur state water officials to secure not just their water rights but their civil rights. The two, they say, are inextricably tied.

“Everything we need comes from the river,” says Malissa Tayaba, a leader in the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. “Water is alive. And we can’t live without it.”

The Guardian - 8/26/22