You could fill a library with stories of disagreements over water use in the American West. California's Scott Valley alone would take up some shelf space in that library, with sensitive salmon species and their need for water frequently abutting the rights of old ranches.
Now some of the interested parties are working together, under a new agreement signed by California Trout, the Farmers Ditch Company, and the Yurok Tribe. The goal is a river and tributaries more friendly to salmon, and a set of farms and ranches that use water more efficiently.
We explore the details in an extended discussion with Mike Belchik of the Yurok Tribe, Gareth Plank from FDC, and Damon Goodman from CalTrout.