Tiny, endangered fish hinders California’s Colorado River conservation plan

By AMY TAXIN
Associated Press

Southern California’s Imperial Irrigation District supplies water to farmers who grow most of the nation’s winter vegetables. It created a plan to reduce its draws from the Colorado River to help preserve the waterway following years of drought. But a tiny, tough and endangered fish called the desert pupfish got in the way. Jamie Asbury, the district’s general manager, says the conservation plan is now delayed so water and wildlife officials can come up with a way to ensure the pupfish is protected. The fish lives in irrigation drains that could see reduced water flows under the plan. California and other states have been looking for ways to conserve water after years of drought affected the Colorado River, which provides water to 40 million people.