From the State Water Board:
Curtailment Status Update
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 remain temporarily suspended. The reporting requirements identified in the August 20 Orders remain in place, as do other requirements that may be applicable for specific water rights and claims. 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.
The decision to continue the temporary suspension of curtailments is based on water supply forecasts from the California Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC) that were updated on November 3, 2021. The 50% exceedance water supply forecast was evaluated to determine the temporary suspension of curtailments at this time; this analysis will be reassessed on Friday November 5. Supply forecasts factor in anticipated precipitation and water supplies produced by associated runoff in the next seven days, while demand values are computed seven-day averages. Demand data informing curtailments continue to be based on reported diversions from 2018.
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.
Update on Enhanced Reporting for Rights and Claims 5,000 Acre-Feet or Greater
If your water right or claim has a face value or reported diversions in 2018 or 2019 of 5,000 acre-feet or more, the August 20 Initial Order Imposing Water Right Curtailment and Reporting Requirements in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed requires monthly reporting via the Enhanced Reporting of Prior Diversions and Projected Demand Form (Enhanced Reporting Form).
In order to improve the quality and consistency of the data collected, and in response to stakeholder feedback received during the staff workshop on October 20, staff from the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Water Rights are implementing changes to the Enhanced Reporting Form. A new version of the Enhanced Reporting Form is anticipated to be made available by close of business on Friday, November 5, and the deadline to submit the form will be extended. More details regarding the changes to the Enhanced Reporting Form will be announced in a forthcoming email update.
The upcoming Enhanced Reporting Form will ask for prior diversion data for the month of October 2021 and projected demand data for the month of December 2021.
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.
