Parched California restricts river use by JULIA WICK LOS ANGELES TIMES (TNS) | Today at 2:08 a.m. An irrigation canal runs past farmland in Lemoore, Calif., in June photo. California regulators on Tuesday said some farmers in one of the country’s most important agricultural regions will have to stop taking water out of major rivers and streams because of a severe drought. (AP) LOS ANGELES -- Amid intensifying drought, state water regulators voted Tuesday to enact an emergency order barring thousands of Californians -- primarily farmers -- from using stream and river water. California's complex water rights system is designed to allocate water use during times of shortage and such curtailments, while rare, are not unheard of. But the scope of Tuesday's order -- which includes thousands of senior water rights across a wide swath of the state -- is unprecedented, officials said.