Thousands of water rights holders, including farms and cities, were ordered to stop drawing water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by the State Water Resources Control Board on Friday.

Under the order, 4,500 of the Delta watershed’s 6,600 rights holders were told to halt drawing water in order to protect drinking water supplies, prevent sea water from pushing into the Delta and to minimize the drought’s impacts on fish stocks and the environment, according to Water Board officials.

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Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.