Water-Rights Holders versus the State

The ongoing drought is pitting the state against local water districts in the fight over water rights. And it’s raising awareness of a system of assigning those rights that goes back well over a century, in some cases. Farmers were promised the right to divert rivers and streams to irrigate their crops. Now, as the State Water Resources Control Board tells rights holders to curtail their water use, some are wondering whether the system is due for an overhaul. Kevin Roderick, editor of LA Observed, spoke to KCRW's Steve Chiotakis.