Some lawmakers in the U.S. state of California want to use taxpayer money to buy out farmers. A proposal in the state Senate would spend up to $1.5 billion for their “senior water rights.” That would permit farmers to take as much water as needed from the state’s rivers and streams to grow their crops. If state officials owned those rights, they could leave the water in the rivers to aid endangered salmon and other fish. California has faced severe lack of water for most of the last 20 years. Lawmakers want to more closely examine the state’s complex water system to see how it might be changed to ensure continual supplies during especially dry periods. A separate state proposal would pay farmers to grow fewer crops to save water. Currently, about 98 percent of the state has severe drought conditions. Summer months in California rarely produce any major rainfall. Many areas have begun restricting water use for homeowners. And farmers have had their water supply from the two major state-owned water systems reduced or, in some cases, completely shut off. Legally, all the water in California is the property of the government. But farmers have “water rights” that let them take water for agriculture. Farmers have used those rights to turn California’s Central Valley into a major agricultural center. The area provides much of the nation’s fruits, nuts and vegetables. California now has a record budget surplus of nearly $100 billion. The $1.5 billion proposal to buy senior water rights would involve either buying the land connected with the rights or buying just the right itself. Lawmakers could also require that the water be used for fish and other animals and plants.