they used so much water that the intertidal areas were running dry because all the water from the river was being used for farming. so they state diverted huge amounts of water to just flow to provide habitat for a fish that no one eats, has no other economic value and lives in one saltwater mash.  this mostly hurt famers but the whole water system is interconnected and farmers get first dibs on water while also being the largest users of water. add into this the state intentionally running dam low and not holding onto water and the problems start building up. also north, middle and south california are radically different areas. la is a long way from where ca actually has a reasonable amount of water, but they haven't been building pipes and canals to move the water to the largest city. instead they have been pushing for conservation of water to try and fix the problem without spending any money.
Canada