The state regulators have already lifted the water restrictions that they had previously imposed on a few of California's most senior rights holders during the times of drought.

According to LA Times, this move on Friday is the first time that the state Water Resources Control Board has eased up on those growers from the time they were ordered to stop diverting water in the middle of this year.

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Officials said that more than 200 water users who had rights dating back to 1903 to 1913 and they can now divert water from the Feather River and Sacramento watersheds as well as other parts of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

It can be recalled that the use of water was cut in the cities of California by 31 percent in July, according to ABC 7 News. The reason was to strongly conserve water that Californians have come to understand the dire need because it is said that it is now the "drought of the century."

The cities have been ordered to only use 25 percent less water, and this resulted to conserving 27 percent in June compared to 2013 when Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency. Regulators then turned their focus to communities that fail to conserve by visiting personally so that the mandate were correctly responded.

In the West and in California, most rights to surface water were based on when the water was primarily diverted and used. This system is called "first in time, first in right."

The state did not begin issuing water diversion permits until 1914, which is the dividing line between senior and junior rights, LA Times added.

When there is no sufficient flow to satisfy all the consumers' demand during the times of drought, those junior rights are cut first to leave water for those with older claims.

So in February, the water regulators sent notices to senior rights growers to divert water from San Joaquin and Sacramento river basins to watersheds. When September data were good enough according to the analysis then decided to ease up.

Tagswater conservation, state regulators, Water Resources Control Board, watersheds, senior and junior rights