At issue was how water from Northern California moving to the Central Valley and Southern California through the San Francisco Bay-San Joaquin Delta would be apportioned for agriculture, urban needs, Delta water quality, species preservation and habitat restoration. The State Water Resources Control Board sets SWP quotas. How much the compensation will be has yet to be decided. Uncertainty arises, too, because future rulings by the Water Resources Control Board could cut agriculture's share of surplus state water. The ESA could be changed to tilt the already imbalanced act even more toward federal agency power.
Some farmers feel a dependable supply of water is, within reason, at least as important as price.