From the State Water Board:
All curtailments under the August 20, 2021 curtailment orders (Order for water rights/claims under 5,000 acre-feet and Order for water rights/claims over 5,000 acre-feet) issued pursuant to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) Watershed Emergency Reporting and Curtailment Regulation are temporarily suspended at this time.
The reporting requirements remain in place, as do other curtailment requirements pursuant to Standard Water Right Term 91. The temporary suspension of curtailments is subject to change. Water supply forecasts will continue to be evaluated regularly to determine if, when, and to what extent re-imposition of curtailments is appropriate, and updates will continue to be provided by email and web posting.
Current forecasts call for notable precipitation in the Delta watershed over the next seven days, particularly in the Sacramento River watershed. Precipitation is also anticipated in the San Joaquin River watershed, though to a less significant extent.
The decision to temporarily suspend curtailments is based in part on the Water Unavailability Methodology for the Delta Watershed, together with consideration of a range of precipitation forecasts from the California Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC), low water demand for direct diversions in October, the importance of allowing reservoirs to refill when water becomes available due to storm events, and existing instream flow requirements. However, dry soil conditions in the Delta watershed may limit the immediate impact of early precipitation. Additional precipitation events are expected to result in more dynamic changes to observed runoff. As such, the State Water Board will continue to closely monitor forecasted precipitation and hydrologic conditions and may re-evaluate curtailment statuses within the next week if appropriate.
Suspension of curtailments should not be construed as a validation of water right claims or an authorization to divert. Existing constraints on water right permits and licenses, such as seasonal diversion restrictions and bypass flow requirements, remain in effect. In addition, all water right holders and claimants may only divert under valid water rights and are not authorized to divert if it would result in injury to other water users.
Water right holders and claimants are responsible for monitoring their curtailment status online on the Delta Watershed Curtailment Status List. Notice of changes to curtailment status will not be mailed. For those with limited internet access, a pre-recorded curtailment summary can be heard on the Delta Curtailment Status phone line at (916) 323-4643.
For more information about drought in the Delta watershed, please visit the Delta Drought webpage. For more information about curtailment compliance and responses to the August 20 Orders, please visit the Curtailment Compliance and Responses webpage. The Curtailment Compliance and Responses tracker is updated every Friday and can be filtered to see the latest changes. If you have any questions, you may send an email to Bay-Delta@waterboards.ca.gov or call the Delta Drought phone line at (916) 319-0960.
