"California should leave more water in the state's most vital river delta to save crashing populations of native fish, state regulators said Wednesday in findings that could cut the amounts that cities and farms can take from the Sacramento and San Joaquin waterways.

The draft findings from the state Water Resources Control Board also could complicate Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal for building $15.7 billion giant water tunnels to carry water from the Delta.

The state currently takes about half of the Delta's normal flow for agriculture and cities each year. The new state report says current management of the Delta has caused the decline of almost all native species there.

It recommends the state leave more water in the river system and Delta for at least three seasons of the year."

Ellen Knickmeyer and Scott Smith report for the Associated Press October 19, 2016. [2]